A Guilty Wind, A Troubled Sea
by UH-60 NIGHTSTALKER
Summary: Guilt ridden with their actions, Haruka and Michiru leave Tokyo and head to America in an attempt to find themselves once again.
1. Chapter 1

_**Prologue**_

It had been two weeks since the battle against the then evil Sailor Galaxia and Sailor Moon and the rest of her loyal Senshi were just now starting to deal with the dramatic events of that horrific day. It was a day Usagi/Sailor Moon would never forget no matter how hard she tried. For the second time in her life, she had to go through the trauma of seeing her senshi, her friends, die in front her very eyes while trying to protect her, seeing their Star Seeds taken from them and feeling so helpless to save them. Learning that her one true love had been killed while he was on his was to America to further his studies ans seeing his Star Seed floating helplessly along with the rest of her friends. But nothing could compare to the feeling of absolute betrayal that she felt when she saw two of her senshi do something that she thought was unthinkable.

Even though Haruka and Michru's relationship with the inner senshi was lukewarm at best, Usagi still considered them as her friends and felt that they could be trusted. But during that faithful battle, that trust was replaced with betrayal when Uranus and Neptune allowed themselves to become minions of Galaxia, attacking and killing two of their fellow team mates. But what really had the moon princess shocked was the fact that the two outer senshi showed absolutely no signs of remorse when they took their friend and 'daughter's' star seeds. But even when the two lovers realized what they had done and tried to attack Galaxia, they two were no match for the senshi of the galaxy and in the end, they died.

Eventually Sailor Moon was able to free Galaxia of the Chaos that had possessed her and had all of her friends and her lover returned to her, but the actions of Uranus and Neptune had her questioning their loyalty not just to her, but to the entire team.

"I still can not believe they would do such thing." Usagi said sadly, as she and the rest of the inner senshi met at the Hikawa Jinja to discuss the situation.

"Well believe it." Rei said with disgust in her voice, "Those two acted recklessly and instead of talking with the rest of us, they acted on their on accord and killed Setsuna and Hotaru."

"Well it is just like them to do such a thing." Makoto interjected, "They always act out on their own and feel as if they answer to no one, not to mention that they were to eager to sacrifice Setsuna and Hotaru. Did they ever think once that their so called plan could back fire on them."

"Well they have always acted independently from us" Ami explained, "but after this, I am uncertain if they can ever be trusted again."

"But they did turn on Galaxia... you know... before they were... killed." Minako spoke up, "But what they did was not right."

While this was going on inside the temple, the two accused senshi sat silently outside on the front steps. The two of them both lost in thought and stewing in their own guilt. The two of them had not only turned on their fellow team mates, but had also struck at the one person that they had sworn there absolute loyalty to. Originally they had come to the Jinja in an attempt to smooth things over with their princess and their fellow senshi., but what had happened was that they over heard the discussion inside and what they heard had them thinking.

Ever since they made themselves known to their princess and her inner court, both Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune acted rather cold towards them. Always refusing to work with them and at times butting heads with their fellow senshi, even though they were very loyal to Usagi/Sailor Moon. But after hearing what the girls had to say about them made them realize just how wrong they had operated in the past.

Despite their loyalty they had acted rather cold and aloft towards the inners, even though all they wanted to do was make friends with them and work closely with them. Even when the situation called for them to work together, the two outers still would not allow them selves to work along side their princess and her court. Needless to say, that decision along with many others had cause a rift to form between them and the rest of the senshi, but their actions during the fight with Galaxia was possibly the worse decision they had ever made. Not because they had raised their hand at their princess, but because they had betrayed the two people who were not only fellow outers, but were also apart of a family that they had made.

Michiru could still see the look on Pluto's face as she took her friend's star seed, it was a look of pure shock and betrayal. She had 'Killed' a woman who along with Haruka, had vowed to take care of a young Hotaru while her father was in hospital, a woman who she loved like a sister. A woman who had at one time sacrifice herself so that the two of them could survive and finish their mission and in return, Neptune had killed her without any hesitation or remorse. But is was Haruka that really felt the weight of her actions.

It was her idea in the first place to turn on her fellow team mates, she had been the one who slapped her princess. But it was the fact that she had killed her adopted daughter, the one who she loved with all her heart, the one who lovingly called her "Papa", really had the senshi of the wind in a depressed mood. Just how could she have done such a horrific act? Just why did she come up with that stupid plan in the first place? Because of her, she almost lost 4 of most important women in her life and to some extent, she had possibly already lost one. There was just no way that Haruka could see her princess, or any of the other senshi for that matter forgiving what she and her lover had done. Filled with guilt and self hatred, the two outer senshi knew just what had to be done.

About an hour later the girls came out of the temple and they were about to head to their favorite watering hole, "The Crown Cafe" when Rei's grandfather called out to here...

"Rei!" the old Shinto priest called out. "What is it, grand pa?" the young miko asked him.

"Two of your friends were here just a while ago. They let you this note then they left." the old man said, as he held up a envelope. Curious, Rei opened the letter and with the other girls huddled around her,she began to read...

"_To everyone, _

_By the tine you get this letter we shall be long gone. Our actions in recent events have caused great pain to the ones that we care about the most in the world and is unforgivable. _

_Because of our mind set at the time, we caused the deaths of 2 of our team mates who we were supposed to love and protect. We destroyed what ever trust they had for us and we shamed our selves in this manner. _

_There for we have decided to leave Tokyo and we shall not return for a little while. We just need time to be to our selves and do do some thinking. We just wanted to let you know that we are truly sorry for __what we had done and hope that one day we can have a new start and become friends. _

_Signed, Haruka and Michiru"_

"Figures..." Makoto snorted in disgust, "They ran away form their problems and they did not even had to gust to face us."

"Would not be the first time they ran." Rei added.

All of them just stood their in a stunned silence, as the fact that Haruka and Michiru had left Tokyo sunk in. But Usagi was more lost in thought than any of them.

The letter sounded as if they were truly sorry for what they had done and she could feel that the two of them were truly hurting inside. All Usagi could do at this point hope that they would be alright and that the two senshi would come back home soon.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 1: **__**Coming to America**_

It was a bright sunny day as Michiru and her family made their way through the park. In her hands was a rather large picnic basket, her lover carrying their daughter on her shoulders while their house mate and friend walked along with them, talking to the young child and carrying the group's picnic blanket . After a few minutes of walking, they all came to a small clearing in the middle of the park, Setsuna laid out the blanket on the ground and Michiru began to place out the food. While Haruka and Hotaru went off and played in the distance.

As the young violinist sat there and watched her family play, she could not help but to feel a huge sense of happiness and fulfillment. She had found her one true love, she had a friend who she loved like a sister and together, they all helped take care of a young child who they all loved as id she were their own. What more could she ever want?

As she sat there in her sky blue dress, the young woman suddenly heard her 'daughter' began to cry and when she looked, she saw that Hotaru was on her knees and hunched over. Quickly, Michiru ran over to the crying child to see what was wrong...

"Hotaru..." Michiru whispered, "Hotaru what is wrong?"

"She.. she took it from me" the violet eyed child said in between sobs.

"Who took what from u?" the young woman asked with concern in her voice.

"Haruka-Papa..." she cried, " Haruka-Papa took it from me... and I though she loved me."

"Took what?" Michiru's asked, as a sense of dread began to fall over her.

All of a sudden Hotaru's clothes had changed and she was now dressed in her sailor fuku. Soon Michiru's concern was replaced with a sense of complete horror as she noticed Hotaru, or rather Sailor Saturn began to slowly fade away. "Why did Papa take it from me, Mama? Why? I thought she loved me?" the senshi of death asked in a pleading tone.

"Hotaru! Haruka does love you!" Michiru pleaded, as she felt tears swell up in her eyes. "She did not mean to hurt you! She loves you... I love you!"

"Like you loved me?" a new voice spoke up. When Michiru turned to see who it was, she saw that Setsuna was now dressed as Sailor Pluto and just like Saturn, she too was starting to fade away as well. "I trusted you... we trusted you! I loved you like a sister, I sacrificed my life to save yours and who do you do? You betrayed me and our daughter and after all we been through."

"Sets, please!" Michiru was all but crying now, "We are sorry... I am sorry!"

"I thought you loved me Mama? I thought you loved... me..." Saturn cried, as she faded into non existence.

"Hotaru! No!" the aqua hair woman cried, as she saw he daughter vanish in front her very eyes.

"She is gone..." Pluto whispered as she too faded away "and she is never coming back."

"No! No! No! Please! come back!" Neptune pleaded , as she now found herself all alone. Then, she began to notice that she to begun to fade out of existence, " NO! NO! PLEASE NOT AGAIN!" she cried in horror as her body, now clad in her fuku, began to fade away...

Michiru woke up with a start and in a cold sweat , as she found her self back in her air plane seat with her lover, Haruka. It had been almost 12 hours since they had left Tokyo on a flight bound for the United States and even though she had tried to sleep during the flight, the nightmares that had haunted her dreams for the last two weeks still followed her , even as the Boeing 747 that they traveled on cruised through the cool night sky. She just hoped that this trip would help her in some way.

Before leaving Tokyo the two senshi made sure that all of their affairs were in order. Michiru had pushed back all of her recording appointments for the next few weeks, saying that she needed some time to her self. While Haruka announced that she would not be taking part in a number of track meets that she was scheduled to compete in within the following weeks, saying that she also needed a break to have have some time to herself. They even ended up selling the same mansion that they had bought together just a few months earlier when they had adopted Hotaru and started a family in. But now with their new found guilt and shame, the two women doubted that they could ever recover the family that they had betrayed and lost. Hence they saw no reason to own such a home any more.

As the aqua haired woman looked around the air craft cabin, she saw that almost every one there was asleep, save for a few who were still up and were either working on a computer or were just unable to sleep and enjoying a night time meal. As she looked to her left, she saw that Haruka was still fast asleep and looked like she was very much comfortable. Just how was her lover able to sleep, Michiru did not know. But then again Haruka could sleep through an earth quake if she was tired enough. Right now her only main concern was trying to get back to sleep. They would be landing in Los Angeles soon and from there they would then take another flight to San Diego, where Haruka said that she had a cousin living there and that he agreed to allow them live with him while in America.

So with a heavy sigh, Michiru pulled her small blanket back over her and tried to get back to sleep like her lover. But if she had only looked at Haruka a little closely, she would have noticed the distressed look that would flash upon her face from time to time, or that she would mutter in her sleep _'I am so sorry , Hotaru...'_

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The terminal at San Diego airport was crowed to say the very least, as Haruka and Michiru walked out of immigration and collected their suit cases. They had always heard that the airports in America had stricter security than in japan , but they were spared most of the security check points seeing that they were arrivals.

"Are you sure that he will be here?" Michiru asked, as she and Haruka walked through the crowded terminal with there bags in tow.

"I did tell Alex that we were arriving today" Haruka replied, "he should be here."

Just then, Haruka's eyes caught sight of a man with dark brown hair, was dressed in a dark blue T-shirt, black jeans and he held a dark cap in his hands. The dirty blond haired woman smiled a bit and called out in english, "Hey Alex!" The brown haired man saw Haruka, waved back and called out, "Haruka!" before walking to the two women.

"Michiru this is my cousin, Alexander. Alexander this is my girlfriend, Michiru." Haruka introduced them to one another.

"It is always nice to meet one of Ruka's relatives, Alexander-Kun." the violinist said, as she greeted Alex with a slight bow.

"Well it is an honor to finally meet the person who managed to capture my cousin's affection " Alexander replied with a friendly smile, "and please, call me Alex."

"Alright then, Alex" Michiru said with a smile, "I hope we are not inconveniencing you with us staying at your home."

"It's no problem, I have a few months home before I am deployed again. I do not see any other better way to spend my free time than with my cuz and her girl." he casually explained, "Well then, we should get going now. I am guessing the two of you would like to rest up after such a long flight."

The two women nodded in agreement, as Alex proceeded to help them with their bags and walked them out of the terminal. Where he told them to wait while he went to bring his car around to pick them up. A few minutes later, a black Jeep Wrangler 2-door pulled up in front the two women and Alex jumped hopped out.

"So this is your car?" Michiru asked, as she looked over the 4X4.

"Yep!" Alex replied with a smile, "So shall we be going?" The two nodded and after loading all their bags in, the trio was off and into the city of San Diego.

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"So I guess that they are really gone." Makoto commented, as she and the rest of the inners stood in front of a large mansion that had a for sale sign posted in front of it.

"Yea I guess." Minako added, as the realization that both Haruka and Michiru had left Tokyo slowly began to sink in. "I guess they must have felt more guilty than we thought."

"Well it would be a first for them." Rei replied, not making any attempt to hide her dislike for the now missing senshi. "If you ask me, them leaving was the best they ever had."

"Rei, now is not the time to be speaking ill about them." Usagi tried to reason with her friend, "They are truly in pain right now and all you can do is insult them while they are gone?"

"So what? They never once though of us as being fellow senshi and treated us as such and now because of their stupid actions they ran away!" the fiery miko countered, "If they were truly sorry for their actions then they would still be in Tokyo and accept their guilt. Thanks to them Setsuna left us and poor Hotaru probably has nightmares now. They probably didn't even say anything to the her before they left."

"But that does not mean that they are not human." Ami interjected, "Every one has a different way to deal with guilt."

"But they should have stayed and faced what they did, not run away and hope everything would be alright when they return." Makoto added, "and if we let them slide on this, then they would only go back to acting the same way as before."

All the girls just stood there in silence for a few more minutes, all of them chewing on their own thoughts about the two outer's departure and wondering what would happen when they finally returned. But finally they all left the former home of the outer senshi and made their way back to the bus stop.

They all had their own feelings about the two lovers leaving Tokyo and they all had their own opinions and views. But as they walked, Usagi could not help but to think of just what Makoto had said. If they were to come back to Tokyo and she accepted them back as if nothing had happened, then their was no doubt in her mind that Haruka and Michiru would start back acting as they always did as senshi.

It was then and there that Usagi realized that something needed to be done when they returned and as much as she hated to admit it...

Haruka and Michiru needed to be punished.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 2: **__**Day 1**_

Everything was dark and silent, as Haruka found herself all alone in this dark expanse. The dirty blond haired woman did not know where she was or just how she got there, all she knew was that she was all alone with her space sword in hand and that she was dressed in her full sailor fuku. "Hello! Where the hell am I?" the senshi of the wind called out angrily into the darkness, but her question was only met by an deafening silence from the dark void.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness and began to charge at the senshi of the wind. With her experience as a senshi guiding her movements, Sailor Uranus brought he space sword up and in one swift move, sliced the unknown creature in two and sent it tumbling on the ground in a heap. No sooner than she had dispatched the hostile being, another creature appeared and dove towards the senshi. But Uranus was ready for it and jabbed her blade into the creatures head, before taking her foot and pushing the now dead demon of her sword.

Her heart was beating at an incredible pace, as the senshi began to feel the effects of the adrenaline rush that was now setting upon her. A part of her was actually enjoying this, she always loved the action and was always eager to charge head first into a fight without a second thought. She would not have it any other way and she even hoped that another one of these creatures, who or what ever they were would actually try to attack her once again. Her wish was soon answered, as Uranus saw another creature standing in the distance.

With a small grin forming on her face, the wind senshi charged the unknown being and within moments, had grabbed the creature by the neck and with one hand, raised it into the air. "Who the hell are you!" Uranus demanded angrily, as she slowly began to choke her prisoner.

"Don't you know who I am?" the creature said, showing sign that it was in any kind of distress. "I don't have time to play any of your sick games!" Uranus growled, "just who the hell are you?"

Suddenly the creature had changed it appearance and Uranus soon found to her shock, the demon that she held was in fact an exact duplicate of herself. "Tell me, how does it feel to turn on the ones you love? How does it feel to know that you betrayed the trust of your family and took their live without feeling not one shred of remorse?" the duplicate Uranus asked with a cruel smile, as it pointed to where the other dead "creatures" lay. But when the real Uranus looked, she saw to her horror that the dead creatures were now replaced with the bodies of both Pluto and Saturn

"Tell me... how does it feel?" the fake Uranus repeated, suddenly starting to turn a shade of gray. Haruka was at a lost for words, she loosened the grip on her captive and staggered back with a look of complete shock on her face. "No... No... I..." the now traumatized woman tried to speak up, but could not bring herself to speak in her own defense.

"Why did you do it Haruka?" a very familiar spoke from behind her. When Uranus turned to see who it was, she found herself staring into the eyes of her lover. "Why did you make me kill my friend? Why did you kill our daughter?" Michiru asked in a pleading yet hurt tone.

"Michi... I'm...I'm sorry!" Haruka replied in a almost pleading tone. But the look on her lovers face told the wind senshi that Michiru did not believe her.

"Why did you come up with that stupid plan? Our family is dead because of you!" the young woman cried, as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Michi! please! I did not mean to..." Haruka tried to apologize to her lover, but was cut off when she felt a pair of hands rest to her shoulders. Too her horror, she discovered that that those had belonged to her now slain daughter and and friend. "You did this to us..." they said in unison.

"Sets! Taru! I... I'm sorry!" Haruka was all but crying now, but her tears had little effect on her former friend and daughter, as they slowly began to advance on the helpless senshi.

"You did this to us..." they said again, as their eyes began to glow red and reached out to grab the the now frightened woman...

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Haruka woke up with a start and in a cold sweet, as she found herself back in the bed that she and her lover shared. As she looked around she saw that Michiru was still next to her and fast asleep. As she looked at her sleeping girlfriend, Haruka could not help but to wonder just why this beautiful young woman is still with her after what she had put her through. Thanks to her, their family had been destroyed and the one person that would have most likely forgiven them, no longer considered them her friends and had every right to hate them. Just why Michiru stayed with her?

Haruka did not know just why Michiru still loved her after all they had been through, but she was glad that the young violinist had stayed by her side and she made a promise right there and then that some how, she would find a way to make it up to her lover and hope they can be happy once again.

Haruka sighed heavily as she looked at the small alarm clock on the sight stand, " 3:33 a.m." she grumbled, that meant that she would have to endure another few hours of restless sleep before the sun came up. So with an less than happy sigh Haruka laid back down and cuddled up with her girlfriend, hopefully the dreams would not be so vivid as before.

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A new day had dawned in San Diego, as both Haruka and Michiru arose to the smell of freshly made pan cakes. It was just one day before that the couple had touched down in the coastal city and met up with Haruka's cousin, Alex.

From what Haruka had said, Alex was her cousin from her mother's side of the family. Haruka's aunt had married a American naval officer who was stationed in Japan at the time and Alex was a result of that relationship. Both Alex and Haruka had grown up together in Japan and had been very close, even when his father got sent back to America the two of them still kept in regular contact. Alex was even the first person she told that she was a lesbian and he kept her secret until she finally decided to tell her parents. He was even there when her parents turned on her and kicked her out of the house, Alex was the big brother that she never had. Now she and her girlfriend were his guess in his home because now more than ever, she needed a shoulder to lean on.

As the two lovers left their room, they were engulfed with the sent of pan cakes as well as eggs and coffee.

"Hey I was wondering when you two would wake up?" Alex said, as he saw the two women enter the rather small kitchen. "I guess that jet lag caught up with u huh?"

"Yea... it did." Haruka replied, as she and Michiru took their seats at the table.

"So... what do you guys want this morning? The menu is Banana pan cakes with scrambled eggs and bacon, with a choice of orange juice or coffee to wash it all down with." Alex explained, as he placed a plate stacked with pancakes on the table.

"This looks all delicious, Alex." Michiru complimented, "I think I will have the pancakes with juice."

"I will have everything!" Haruka exclaimed with a grin, as she eyed the food that was in front of her. "Well your apatite has not changed much." Alex said with a grin, as he passed her a plate.

"So Alex," Michiru began, "you said yesterday that you would be home for a few months before you were deployed again. Are you in the military?"

"Yea, Marines actually." Alex replied, as he poured himself a glass of orange juice. "I just got back from a deployment last week, now I have a few months home until I am sent out again."

"Must be exciting being in the Marines." Michiru said, as she took a sip of her juice. "It has it moments" Alex replied.

For the next twenty minutes, the three of them ate breakfast and began to make plans for the next few weeks. Alex said that next week was _"Fleet Week" _in San Diego and that there would be a number of events in and around the city. A fact that got Haruka's attention immediately, when she heard her cousin mention that the events would include both a car show and a air show. Two things that the Senshi of the Wind enjoy greatly. In the mean time he would take them around the city and show them some of the sites.

But that would all have to wait until tomorrow, Alex had some business to do do in the city and even though he asked them if they wanted to come along for the trip, both Haruka and Michiru kindly declined and opted to stay home. Saying that they were still tired and need some rest.

About an hour later Alex had left which left the two lovers all alone in the house. Normally when Michiru and Haruka were left all alone, they would normally used that time to engage themselves in certain activities. But ever since the incident with Galaxia, the fire that had existed in between them had died down quite a bit and they had been intimate for a while. It was just another reminder of the guilt that they felt and what they wanted to regain once again.

"Alex seems to be a nice guy." Michiru commented, as they walked back into the house.

"Yea he is."Haruka replied as she flopped on the living room couch, "Well... America: Day 1"

"I wonder how Hotaru is doing?" Michiru asked, her mood starting to grow somber. Haruka's mood began to grow somber as well as she answered, "Michi... her father got out of the hospital just before we left. The doctors say that he is fine and that he is more than capable of taking care of her."

"I know... it just that... that... I wonder if we made the right choice leaving her without saying goodbye?" the young violinist began to tear up a bit. Just before they had decided to leave Japan, the two of them had returned Hotaru to her father. They were there when the two reunited, Hotaru was almost in tears when she hugged her father, who was also in tears himself when he saw his child once again. He thanked the couple personally for their help and said that they could come and visit her any time they wanted. But when it came time for them to leave Tokyo, they thought it would be best if that they only told her father that they would be leaving and not the child that that they once called their daughter. Only saying that they were going on a trip and nothing more.

Haruka came in and hugged her lover, "Michi, you saw how happy she was when she went back home. Right now she needs her family in her life and not us. Maybe one day she would want to see us again but until then the best thing we can do is stay out of her life and allow her to heal. We are doing the right thing."

"I hope we are doing the best thing for her Haruka." Michiru began to cry softly again, as she held on tightly to her lover. Haruka returned the embrace and said silently,

"I hope so too..."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 3: **__**Painful Memories...**_

It was now day three of Haruka and Michiru's stay in America and the two women were now getting ready to head out into they city and enjoy the sites that were there to see. Or at least that is what they would have been doing if it had not start raining the previous night and continued into the next day, now they were both stuck indoors with their host, Alexander. Since they were all stuck indoors and were not be able to leave the house, Alex thought now would be for him to do some work around his home and since they had nothing else better to do, both Haruka and Michiru decided to help him. It was the least they could do after he welcomed them into his home.

"So Alex," Haruka began as both her and Michiru were now dressed down in shorts and T-shirts, "where do we start first?"

"You know you don't have to help me, you are my guest here." Alex reminded them.

"It is no problem, Alex. We don't mind helping you." said Michiru, as she held up a hand broom and dust pan. "Besides, I don't mind doing a bit of home cleaning now and again."

"Okay, if you insist." Alex replied, as he picked up a broom himself "There is not much to do, just have to clean out the kitchen and the garage. That's all."

"Well, I guess I will take the kitchen!" the aqua haired woman said eagerly, as she hurried off into said room. Alex just stood there blinking, "Your girl friend must really like to clean"

"You have no idea..." Haruka answered, as both she and Alex went into the garage.

There was not much work to be done in the garage, just some boxes that needed to be moved around, stacked or thrown out and since Alex had parked his Jeep outside the night before, the duo had more room to work. "So... how is uncle Derick?" Haruka asked, as she help her cousin move some boxes out.

"Oh dad's fine," Alex replied, "You should really give him a call when we are done."

"I will. Um... how he has been since...?"Haruka trailed off, fearing that she might strike a sore nerve with the cousin. It had been ten years since Alex's mother Ako, Haruka's aunt, had died of cancer and it had a great effect on her family at large. Especially on her uncle and cousin, who were a close knit family.

"Don't worry about him, he is actually seeing some one right now. I have met her, nice lady." Alex reassured her.

"So you are okay with him dating some one else?" the blond woman asked curiously. "Well I will admit, I was a bit wary at first when I found out he had found some one else. But then I met the woman and I saw just how happy he was well... did I realize that it was a good thing." the man replied, as he looked in some opened boxes.

"Well I am glad to hear that he found some one again. I think I will call him a bit later." Haruka replied, as she stopped what she was doing and began to remember all the times she had spent with her Uncle Derick and his family.

She remembered all the times she had gone to spend the day with his family and when ever she visited them, they would always go out of their way and treated her as if she were there own. She would always be welcomed with open arms when ever she visited them and she felt as if she could go to them if ever she was in trouble.

That fact soon became evident the day Haruka came out and decided to her parents that she was gay. Unfortunately for the young woman, her parents were not too pleased with their daughter's announcement and kicked her out of the house that very same night. Distraught and with no where else to go, she called the only people that she thought she could turn to in her time of crisis. The only people that she could trust at that point. Both the uncle and aunt picked her up that night and Alex even offered to give her his room for the night. It was then and there on that night that Haruka realized that no matter what happened to her, she would always have family at he side no matter what.

But their kindness came at a price for the next day, Haruka's aunt and her husband confronted her parents and stripped several layers off of them for the way they had treated their daughter. What happened was a very heated argument between the two couples and in the end, Haruka ended up living with her aunt and her family for a while until she got a place of her own and her adopted family moved away to America. She never spoke to her parents again after that day.

"Earth to Haruka... come in Haruka..." Alex joked as he waved his had in front of his cousin, "you zoned out for a bit there kid."

"Oh sorry... " Haruka said quickly, as she quickly recovered and began to work again. Alex saw the semi sad look on her face and knew instantly just what she was going through her mind, but he thought it best not to confront her and just continue with their cleaning.

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While the two cousins were both busy cleaning in the garage, Michiru was busy as well and had begun to clean out the home's kitchen. As she looked around she had to admit that for a guy, Alex kept his place rather clean considering that he lived by himself. She just wished that Haruka would have kept their kitchen this clean when they lived in the mansion with their house mate and and daughter.

At that moment Michiru froze at the memory of the family that she and her lover once had. Haruka would be in her favorite harm chair in the living room, fully engrossed in the latest racing magazine. Setsuna would also be there either silently reading a book or one of the fasion magazines that she had most likely borrowed from her and little Hotaru would be at her side in the kitchen. Watching her "Mama" either prepare dinner or just there to keep her company. They were one big happy family, just where did it all go so wrong?

At one point, the young violinist could picture her young daughter standing at her side. The young child peering happily up at her with a smile on her face and those big violet eyes that seemed to dance and shimmer when ever she looked into them. At one point the young woman wanted to reach out and hug her adopted daughter, but soon reality caught back up with her and Hotaru's image was replaced with a empty kitchen stool. It was just another cruel trick her guilt filled mind played on her. Michiru began to wonder for just how long will she feel this way, just how long will she keep continuing to punish her self like this?

Maybe she would never fully recover from the trauma that she and her lover brought upon themselves and she may never be able to live with her guilt. For a split second, the thought of taking her own life flashed through her mind. It would not be to hard for her, all she would need to do was slit her wrist with one of the kitchen knives there and with luck she would bleed out and die before her lover would find her and try to save her. It would all be over and the pain would end.

But if she were to do this then what would happen to Haruka? Even though her lover would put on a brave face for her, the violinist knew better than any one else that her love was really hurting inside, Haruka was feeling the same guilt that she did but it was possibly ten times more worse for her, seeing that it was her plan that got them into hot water with the rest of there fellow senshi. Michiru hated seeing her lover in distress and if she were to act on her emotions right now, all she would be doing was adding to the pain that the tall blond woman already felt and there was no telling just what might happen to her. She had to stay strong for her lover's sake.

Fighting back the tears that had begun to well up in her blue eyes Michiru resumed her cleaning, all the while saying a small prayer and hoping that she and her lover could return to being the happy, carefree couple that they once were.

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It took a few hours, but Haruka, Michiru and Alex had finished all that needed to be done. The garage and the kitchen had been completed, the trio were now taking a well earned rest in the home's living room and were now watching TV.

"I don't get it?" Haruka spoke up, "If the station is called Cartoon Network, then why is it showing the Inspector Gadget movie? It is not even a cartoon."

"I really don't know." Alex shrugged, "Well the man on the news said tomorrow should be sunny, I guess that I can finally show you two around town."

"Can we go to Sea World?" Michiru asked excitedly. Ever since she was a child growing up in Japan, Michiru always wanted to go to Sea World, it was her one big dream and now she was in the very same city where the park existed. She just had to go and see it, she just had to.

Both Haruka and Alex just stared at the aqua haired young woman, who now had a hopeful look on her face and was now starting to resemble a young child that was pleading to her parents for a toy that she really wanted. "Sure, I don't see why not." Alex replied, a amused look starting to form on his face.

For the next hour or so, Alex told them what he had planned out for them the next day. He intended to show the couple a number of land marks around the city in the morning and treat them to lunch at one of his favorite dives in the city. Then after that they would spend the rest of the evening at La Jolla Shores, a popular beach in the area. The rest of the evening was spent just relaxing in the living room and after enjoying a delicious dinner compliments of their host, Haruka and Michiru turned in for the night.

"It would be nice to finally be able to leave this house for the day." Michiru commented as she got ready for bed and now dressed in a form fitting silk nighty.

"Yea, it would." Haruka replied, as she was now dressed in a pair of black shorts and a white T-shirt that looked almost too big for her, "A day around town followed by an evening on the beach is just want the doctor ordered."

Soon the two lovers were in bed and Haruka began to snuggle up behind her girlfriend, enjoying the feel of the silk combined with the natural heat of the lover's body. But as much as she wanted to take full advantage of this beautiful young woman that laid next to her, she just could not bring herself to do so. Even if they had been passionate lovers before since the fight with Galaxia , Michiru had not shown any interest in re igniting the fire that they once had for one another. Sure Michiru said that she still loved her with all her heart, Haruka could not help but to wonder if Michiru still harbored hatred towards her.

It would not surprise Haruka if Michiru hated her, she was the one how came up with that plan to betray their fellow senshi and strike at their own princess and in the end the plan had failed horribly. Thanks to her they had lost their family and were now on a self imposed exile in America for who knows how long. She may not have admitted it to any one, her biggest fear was losing Michiru and after the fiasco with Galaxia, that nightmare just might became reality.

Haruka tightened her grip around her lover's waist and moved in closer, she was not about to let her biggest mistake take away the only thing she had left.

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_**A/N:** I am sorry if this chapter is a bit short but i felt that it was needed. Anyway thanks for all the reviews and there is more to come so stay tuned. _


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 4: Tears of a Fire Fly._**

Usagi made her way casually up the street all alone. It had been almost a week since Haruka and Michiru had left Japan and the young blond was still in a state of shock. It was true that the two older women acted rather cold towards her and the rest of her friends and that they had refused to cooperate with them when the situation called for it, but they were still fellow senshi and they all fought on the same team. Usagi still considered them her friends and like any of her friends Usagi cared about them a lot. But ever since the events with Galaxia, Usagi began to worry about them even more.

During the battle with Galaxia, Usagi/Eternal Sailor Moon was horrified by the action of the two outers. She just could not believe that two of her senshi, the very same two that had sworn their absolute loyalty to her just months before, would do such a thing to her and their team mates. Just what were they planning to accomplish by betraying her trust and that of their fellow team mates? But even though she was upset by their actions, Usagi could not help but to fell a bit sorry for them at the same time.

Because of their actions Haruka and Michiru had lost not only the trust of her and the rest of the senshi, but they had lost the family that they had created. Haruka and Michiru were in pain and Usagi knew it. But right now she could not focus on her two missing friends, she was on her way to visit some one who as far far as she knew, needed a close friend to talk too right now.

After a few more minutes of walking, the blue eyed blond came up to a home in one of Tokyo's more well to do districts. She walked up the small walk way and knocked on the hard wood door and withing moments, a man in his mid thirties with pale skin and silver hair answered the door.

"Good Morning, Tomoe-sensei." Usagi said politely to the home's owner. Professor Tomoe was the father of the senshi's youngest and quite possibly most powerful member, Hotaru/Sailor Saturn. For the last few months, the professor had been in hospital for injuries that she sustained when the school that he had founded was "bombed" by terrorist earlier that year. As a result he had no memories of the incident and he was forced to place his only daughter in the care of a nice couple that he had met when he first went into care. Or at least that was what he was told by the doctors, the kindly professor did not need to know that he was once the leader of a group that tried to bring about the destruction of the world, or that his injuries were a result of the battle that took place that resulted in the school's destruction. Right now he was enjoying the quiet life with his only child who he loved very much.

The older man smiled and replied, "Hello, Tsukino-San. And please, call me Souichi."

"Okay, Souichi." Usagi replied with a smile, "But only if you call me Usagi."

"Alright, fair enough. Please, would you like to come inside?" Souichi asked the younger woman. "Yes I would, but I am here to visit Hotaru." the young blond told the older man.

"She is in the back yard playing, do you want me to call her for you?" the silver haired man asked her. "No, I think I will surprise her. But I am actually here to talk to you about her." Usagi informed his.

Souichi was a bit taken back when her heard this, " Is there something wrong?"

"Well... I want to know if Hotaru had been having any problems sleeping." Usagi said, "Has she been having any nightmares or any thing?"

"Does this have any thing to do with her being Sailor Saturn?" the professor asked, as he began to feel a bit uneasy. It was only a few months ago that the kindly father found out that his daughter was one of the legendary Sailor Senhi and even though the idea of his only child going into harms way made him a tad upset, he knew better than to stand in the way of his daughter's destiny. If any thing he was actually proud of just who his daughter was and had understood that she had a duty to protect the world. But despite this, Hotaru would always be his little Fire Fly and he still worried about her from time to time.

"I am afraid so, but I can not get into details with you. I hope you understand." Usagi replied apologetically. She knew that Hotaru's father had every right to know what was going on with his child, but she did not know just how much he knew and she was afraid that he might become unreasonable if he found out the truth.

"I understand," Souichi replied, "When Hotaru's guardians came by a few weeks ago, they were acting a bit odd and when I asked if they wanted to see Hotaru, they said that the did not want to disturb her. I have a feeling that your visit has something to do with that?"

Usagi nodded sadly, "I would really like to see her please." The professor nodded and lead the young woman inside to see his little Hotaru.

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"Do you want more tea, Mr. Bunny?" Hotaru asked the pink stuffed animal next to her , as she sat in her seat and held up a small tea pot. A small table had been set up in the home's back yard and the young child was now in the middle of a "Tea Party" and she had about a dozen or so stuffed animals sitting at the table with her. "Okay Mr. Bunny, you can have some more." the young child added, as she pretended to pour a cup of tea for the pink rabbit.

"Hotaru, you have a visitor." Souichi called out from back door of the home. When the young child looked up, a large smile formed on her face. "USAGI-CHAN!" Hotaru squealed happily, as she ran up towards the young woman and gave her a gave her a big hug. Usagi could not help but to giggle a bit, as she bent down and return the young child's embrace.

"I am sooooo happy happy to see you!" Hotaru said, as she hugged the young blond. "I am happy to see you too, Hotaru." Usagi replied with a smile.

"Do you want to come to my tea party? Please come." the young child pleaded , her deep violet eyes peering up at her. Knowing that she could not resist saying 'no' to the child, Usagi gave in and agreed to join her at the table. "I will be inside if you girls need anything." the professor announced, as he turned away and went back inside his home, leaving the two of them all alone in the yard. Hotaru took the older woman's hand and lead her back to the tea party that was already underway.

"Would you like some tea, Uasgi-chan?" the young girl asked, as she held up the small pink tea pot. "Yes please." Usagi replied, as she held out her cup and Hotaru "poured" her out a cup.

"So Hotaru, how are things with you and your dad?" the blond asked her younger friend.

"It has been great!" Hotaru beamed, "Daddy took me to the zoo last week and we spent the whole day there!"

"Sounds like you had fun." Usagi replied, as she took a "sip" of her tea. "Have you heard from Haruka and Michiru?"

"No. Daddy said that the came by a few days ago, but I was asleep when they came." the young child said sadly, "They told him that they were going away on a trip and they wanted to say goodbye before they left."

"Did they leave any message for you?" The young woman asked her younger friend. A sad look flashed upon the young child's face, "No they didn't. I really miss them a lot."

That statement got Usagi's attention, "You do?"

"Yes I do." Hotaru answered as she looked down sadly, "I wish I could have said good bye to them before they went on their trip."

"So you are not upset at them for what they did to you?"

"They were my parents, they would never do anything to hurt me on purpose." Hotaru began, "I know what they did was wrong but they only did it because they wanted to protect me."

"So you forgive them for what they did to you." Usagi asked her, surprised that Hotaru was showing such maturity and wisdom despite her young age. Hotaru nodded a bit and replied "They were my parents and I know they would never hurt me. I just know they feel terrible for what they did, I just know it! I wsh they would come back soon." the young child began to tear up again.

Usagi embraced the young child and held her for long minutes. Hotaru was truly upset. Not because her adoptive parents had betrayed her, but because they were gone and she did not get a chance to say goodbye to them. Usagi could not help but to think that both Rei and Makoto could learn a thing or two from this young child about forgiveness. She just wished that Haruka and Michiru were here right now so they could see how much pain they were causing this child because they left.

She just hoped that they would return home soon so that little Hotaru could see them once again.

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It felt like had been an eternity since Haruka had seen her lover smile. She along with Michiru and Alexander were now in the parking lot of the world famous Sea World and they were now getting ready to leave the famed park and head back to Alex's home.

Originally, the plan for the day involved Alex taking them sight seeing around the city in the morning and spend the rest of the afternoon at an near by beach. But the planned visit to the beach never materialized due to the fact that Michiru REALLY wanted to visit the park.

The senshi of the seas was like a little child that had just eaten a five pound bag of sugar. She literally dragged her lover from attraction to attraction, marveling at all the different animals that the park had. But nothing could compare to the absolute euphoric feeling that the young violinist felt when she got to interact with the park's resident dolphins. In short the normally regal and mature young woman had transformed herself into a giggling little child within a matter of hours. All the while, the tall blond woman struggled to keep up with her hyper lover and trying to get her to slow down,

If she could Michiru would never leave such a "magical" place and spend the rest of her life there, but finally and rather reluctantly Michiru decided to leave the park. Now she was happily sitting in the back of Alexander's Jeep, with a with a big child like grin on her face and a rather large Killer Whale plush toy in her arms.

"I am guessing that your girl really enjoyed herself huh Haruka?" Alex asked with a amused look on his face, as he saw the young woman in his back seat happily cuddle with her new toy.

"I guess she did." Haruka replied, as she too looked at her lover with amusement. Moments later the trio had driven out of the parking lot and were now on their way back home.

As she sat in her seat, Haruka could not help but to feel just a tad bit happy. For the first time in weeks, the senshi of the wind saw her lover laugh and smile. It was like for a brief moment, all the pain and guilt that had consumed both her and Haruka for weeks had just vanished and that everything was right in the world. But as she looked at her lover, Haruka knew that her euphoric feeling would soon come to an end and that the guilt would return soon enough and that she would fall back into her sour mood once again.

Haruka wished that there was some one that she and her lover could talk to , if not to help them deal with their problem, then just give them an outlet to let out some steam and vent. But sadly they did not have this luxury, the only persons that knew about their identities as senshi were the very same people that were mad at them.

Right now though Michiru was happy and her lover's happiness was the only thing that mattered to Haruka. Tomorrow would bring a new day and if Michiru was able to smile again maybe she would too, or at least that was had the senshi of the wind hoped, as she settled into her seat and looked at the sun as it began to set over the Pacific ocean.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 5: An Insightful Morning...**_

The sun had barely begun to rise in the east, as its golden rays peeked through the bedroom's curtains and shone on the room's sole occupant. Her body was clad in her silk nighty while in her arms, was the same plush Killer Whale that she had gotten when she and Haruka visited Sea World just a few days before. Now she was cuddling the rather large stuffed animal as if she were a child hugging up her favorite teddy bear.

So far she and her lover's stay in America had been a pleasant one. Alexander had been a generous host, he had opened up his home to them and treated them as if they were his family. Then again both he and Haruka were cousins so it was no surprise that he treated them as such. But he did not have to treat them like this, he could have very well easily refused to let them stay in his home and tell them to stay at a hotel. But instead he welcomed them in with open arms, showed them nothing but respect and even took the time to show them around the city he lived in. Alex had even treated her as if he had known her for years, even though they had only met just a week ago.

It was then that the aqua haired violinist came to a realization, Alexander was treating her and Haruka the very same way that their fellow senshi had tried to treat them when they first made them selves known. The inner senshi and their princess had showed them nothing but respect and even admiration for the couple. But even though their princess and her inner court respected them, the two lovers were not so kind as to return the feeling. When they looked at the inners, all they saw were a bunch of children that were weaker than them because they allowed love and compassion to hinder their duties as senshi.

It was then that she realized that the other girls, as well as herself and Haruka, were not senshi alone. They were human beings like every other person in the world, they all had their own lives with their families and such in human nature, they were trying to establish social bonds with them outside of just being senshi. But the thing that two lovers were interested at the time was both finding their princess and preventing the "silence" from consuming the world. That was all they cared about, getting the mission done no matter what the cost and now looking back at their actions, the cost could have been much higher. Other that business associates, they really did not have any friends. It was just the two of them and they thought that was all they needed to survive in the world.

It was quite possibly that train of thought that made her agree to Haruka's plan to "help" Galaxia in their fateful battle, but look at where it had gotten them. Now they were on a self imposed exile in America and they did not even know just when they would return to Japan. Let alone if they could ever look into the eyes of their beloved princess and not feel the guilt that was now tearing them up inside. Only time would tell if they could ever be able to live with their actions.

It was then that Michiru noticed that she was alone in bed. Puzzled, the young woman got up from the bed and was about to leave the room when she saw that a small note was left on the room's dressing table.

_'Hey Michi, _

_I got up early and I saw Alex was about to go for a run so I went with him. We should be back in an hour or two. _

_Love, Ruka.' _

'So she just went for a run.' the violinist mused. She knew that Haruka loved to run and would use any opportunity to flex her leg muscles. But she knew Haruka better than any one and she knew that her lover would never wake up at such an unholy hour just to go for a run. She knew that the only time Haruka would ever do such a thing is if she had something on her mind that was troubling her. Well there were things on her mind that was troubling her, considering their new found guilt. But this was the first time since their arrival in America that she had gotten up this early to go for a run.

Michiru began to wonder if her lover was truly alright, if she was just putting on a brave face for her on the outside while the was tearing herself up on the inside, still beating herself up for their actions during that fateful day. Maybe when the time was right she could sit her lover down and they could finally talk, but Haruka was not known to be open when it came to her feelings. All Michiru could do right now was hope that her lover would be able to deal with what ever was troubling her, while she was on her run.

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Haruka could not even remember just when last she had gone running so early in the morning, she along with Alex were now resting on a park bench after spending the last hour or so jogging in the cool morning air. She had asked her cousin if she could go jogging with him when she saw him heading out earlier that morning for a run, Alex agreed and after borrowing a pair of sneakers from him, the two cousin were off.

Now even though the tall blond love running, she normally did not go for a jog in the morning, especially when Michiru had on that silk nighty that she wore every time they went to bed and some times Haruka would ensure that her lover would not have it one when they woke up the next morning. But for the past few weeks her mind had been awash with many thoughts and she had begun to question her actions in the past. They were not just about her actions during the battle with Galaxia, but of her relationship with her princess and the rest of the senshi.

The only reason she and Neptune had acted so coldly towards Sailor Moon and the inner senshi was because that was how it was during the time of the old Moon Kingdom. Serenity had her court to protect her while the Outers main job was to was to defend the solar system from outside threats, hence they saw no reason to socialize with their inner counter parts and why should they? That was how it always was and how it should have always be. But it was only now that she realized that that sort of thinking was obsolete.

The Silver Millennium was long gone, the Moon Kingdom no longer existed and there was no evidence that it ever did. If that were the case, then just why did they (Neptune and herself) always acted so harshly towards their princess when all she wanted to do was be friends with them? This was a new era and from what Setsuna had told them, a new kingdom would rise with their princess becoming queen. But that did not explain just why she along with Michiru were still unable, if not unwilling, to associate themselves with their princess and their fellow senshi.

"Hey Haruka," Alexander's voice brought Haruka out of her deep though, "are you alright?"

"What? Oh. Yea I okay." the tall blond replied. Alex saw the odd look on his cousin's face and said, "Haruka, I know that look. What is bothering you?"

"It's nothing." Haruka replied in her normal, gruff tone. But Alexander was not buying it, "I know you well enough to know when something is on your mind, Ruka. We lived together for a few years remember? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing!" the tall blond shot back, "Can we just drop it and get back to our run?"

Alexander just shook his head and said, "I guess you have not changed much since Japan."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Haruka shot back.

"Remember when you first started to live with us?" Alex began, "My parents had to enroll you in school on the base and on your first day, you refused to talked to any one there."

"Well... I did not see any reason why I should have." Haruka replied.

"Haruka... When any one would try to say 'hi' to you you would tell them to buzz off. And that was if you were in a good mood."

"Where are you going with this?" Haruka asked in her trade mark gruff tone.

"You just can't keep pushing people out like that." the marine told his cousin, "You are going to start letting people into your life so they can help you if you have a problem."

"Um... have you not noticed Michi?" Haruka asked him, "I allowed her into my life."

"Yea... and just who else is there?" Alex shot back at her. Haruka was about to answer him but what he had said began to take root. Yes there was her "Michi" but who else was there? Other than Alex and his father, Haruka had no other family _(family she could talk to anyway)_ and even then, there was a huge ocean in between them.

"Haruka, if you don't want to tell me what is wrong then I will not force you to tell me." Alex stated, as he got up and got ready to start back running "But sooner or later you are going to have to open up to other people and let them into your life, or else you will be all alone in the end."

"Alex..." Haruka spoke up. The young marine paused and looked at his cousin and replied "Yes Haruka"

"Can I ask you something?" the blond woman asked modestly. "Sure, what is it?" Alex replied.

"Well... me and Michiru did some thing back in Japan and we ended up hurting some people that we cared about a lot." Haruka told him, "Now we are afraid that we have lost their respect in us."

"Is that why you decided to came to stay with me?" Alexander asked the tall woman. Haruka just sighed a bit and nodded as she said, "Yes, that is part of why we are here. We just needed some time to think so we decided to leave Tokyo for a while."

"So what did you guys do to destroy their trust?"

"I... I... rather not say, but I am afraid that we may no longer be able to regain their trust in us ever again." Haruka informed him.

"Well I am sure that what ever it was that you did could not be that bad. I mean it is not like you two killed some one or anything like that." Alexander replied, unaware that his statement was not too far from the truth.

"Um... yea... right..." Haruka replied quickly as she shifted her eyes.

"Haruka... it is not a good thing when you run away from your problems you know." Alex stated, "Sooner or later you are going to smooth things over with who ever it is that you hurt."

"I know that," Haruka replied, "it is just that... I do not know if we could ever become friends with them again."

"Sounds like you are really sorry for what ever you did to them." Alexander replied, "Did you tell them that you were sorry before you left?"

"Well... sort of."

"Meaning?"

"We left them a note." Haruka answered, "When we went to visit them we heard them talking about us. Believe me, they were in to mood to talk to us."

"Haruka, I really can not tell you what to do right now. If they really are as upset as you say they are, then I suggest that you give them some time to cool off before you decide to talk to them." Alex told his cousin.

Haruka took a minute to let what he cousin had told her to sink in, maybe she and her lover leaving Japan was a good thing. Maybe giving the other senshi some space and time to cool off was the best thing to do before they went back home. There still was no surety that the others would forgive them, but it would still give the two lovers a chance to clear the air.

After resting for a few more minutes, the two of them were about to head back home when Haruka spoke up again and asked, "Alex... you are in the military right?"

"Yea... and?"

"Well I was wondering, if you were on a mission and your orders were to complete it no matter what, would you turn on your fellow team mates if you felt that it would accomplish the mission?" she asked the marine.

Alexander just shook his head and replied, "I don't think I would ever do such a thing. If the mission is to be successful, then every one on the team would have to work closely together so that every one could go home in the end. Besides, the last thing any one wants is a lose cannon in the mix. Some one could get hurt or even worse. Why do you ask?"

"Um... I was just wondering. That's all." the tall woman lied. Alexander just raised an eye brow, "Okay, if you say so." he replied, before running off.

Haruka just stood there for a moment. This morning had turned out to be a very insightful one to say the very least and her mind was now a flood in a torrent of thoughts. She realized that her sometimes cold ans abrasive attitude towards the inners were not because of the guardian planet's past, but it was because she had always been that way. If that were the case then it truly was a miracle that she had Michiru in her life.

It was then the senshi of the wind realized that just maybe it was time for her to change the way she acted and not just toward her princess and her inner court, but the other people in general. The Silver Millennium was gone and a new era of peace will soon sweep across the globe, causing the planet to unite under the rule of it's future rulers. It was time for a change that would reflect the future that was to come. In that future every one on earth would become united and live in harmony, it would not look too good if the future queen's senshi could not learn to work together.

If she and her lover were to have any chance at redemption and be seen as equals by their fellow senshi, then they would have to change their attitudes and be willing to work together as a team. Haruka's only hope, as she began to run again, was that Usagi and the rest of her friends would be willing to give them a second chance and allow them to be their friends when they returned to Japan.

When ever that may be.

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_**A/N: **This chapter took FOREVER to write. I just hope it was worth the long delay. Any way please leave a review and tell me what you think. - UH-60 _


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 6: A Princess Speaks, A Guardian listens. **_

"So she really misses them?" Marmoru asked his girlfriend, as he and the rest of the inner senshi were now gathered at the Crown cafe late in the evening . It had been almost a week since Usagi had gone to visit the Sailor Senshi's youngest member at her father's home to see just how the young child was coping since the events with Galaxia and she was only now informing the rest of the team on what she had heard the young child say. Usagi nodded sadly and continued to speak,

"She really does. Hotaru said that she forgives Haruka and Michiru for what they did and she really wishes that they would come back."

"She does?" Makoto asked her odango headed friend, as she stirred her cup of coffee. Usagi nodded again and replied, "She said that the only reason that they did what they did was to protect her and that they would never do anything to willing hurt her. She still loves them."

"Well at least some one misses them." Rei spoke up, her fiery personality beginning to show itself once again. "Rei-chan, please calm down." Makoto pleaded with her friend, " Hotaru may be young, but she does have a point. Haruka and Michiru may be head strong and arrogant when it came to to dealing with us, but I remember seeing them with Hotaru a time and how they got along. They were like an real family."

"Your point being?" Rei asked her taller friend. "What I am saying is that Haruka and Michiru was possibly the closest thing Hotaru has ever had to having a family. Not to mention that it is more than possible that Haruka and Michiru thought of them selves as a family and acted as one."

"Mako-chan is right." Ami interjected, "The three of them along with Setsuna were a close family. It would not be impossible to believe that Hotaru still loves them."

"And yet, those two sacrificed Hotaru and Setsuna without hesitation." The fiery miko snorted, "If you ask me..."

"That is enough, Rei-chan." a very stern voice spoke up frpm the table. When every one looked they were surprised to see that the stern voice came from Usagi. " Yes we all know that what Haruka and Michiru did was reckless and arrogant, but you reminding us of their past actions is not helping one bit."

To say that the girls were shocked to hear their normally carefree and bubbly friend speak with such a stern and serious tone in her voice, would have been correct. Especially Rei, who was basically told to "shut up" by her normally child like friend. All they could do was listen to what stay silent and listen to what Usagi had to say as she continued to speak.

"I know you are not too happy with the way Haruka and Michiru treated us in the past, nor are you happy with them running away rather than facing us after what they did. But I am not too happy either, I saw them kill Saturn and Pluto with my own eyes. Not to mention that Haruka slapped me in the face. I should be furious with the couple and i am, but right now our main focus should be on dealing with the couple when they come back and finally face us."

"How are you even certain that they will even come back and even then, how can you even forgive them?" Rei asked with a accusing eye.

"Rei have you forgotten that letter they left us? Believe me they are in pain and will face us in good time." the blue eyed blond replied, "Besides... you slapped me once, remember? And I forgave you."

Rei was about to open her mouth and say something to contradict her friend, but at that very moment the raven headed miko began to think. The letter that had been left for them by the guilty couple did sound like they were truly sorry for their actions and that they did blame themselves for what they had caused. they did not even try to defend themselves and their action, they basically thew the blame on themselves withouth hesitation. Maybe it was possible that both Haruka and Michiru had left not because they were afraid of what the rest of the senshi had to say about them, but because they were just too ashamed of their actions to face their fellow senshi and their princess.

The miko just sighed heavily and replied, "Okay, maybe you do have a point and that they truly are sorry. But they still need to answer for their actions."

Usagi frowned a bit and replied, "Yes, I know and believe me I will ensure that they are punished when they do finally return."

For the next few minutes the group of girls and one guy just sat there and stewed on what had just been said. It was very clear to see that Usagi was willing to forgive the traitorous couple and give them a second chance to start a working relationship with thewm as well. But it was also clear to see that something inside the normally carefree and child like young woman had changed, and every one at the table took notice of that fact as well. She was starting to act more mature and was giving herself more voice when it came to their almost daily meetings at the shrine.

They all wondered just what could have caused such a change in Usagi, maybe it was the princess that was deep within her starting to show itself or maybe she was just starting to finally mature on her own. What ever it was causing this change they did not know, all they knew was that their leader and and friend did have a point. Haruka and Michiru needed a second chance to start a new relationship with them and prove that they could be trusted again. But as the group sat in their seats, they did not realize that their little conversation was being watched from afar.

Looking into a small portal that she had made, Sailor Pluto listened in on her princess and her friends talk about the situation concerning her fellow outer senshi. Ever since the battle with Galaxia hand ended the lone solder of space and time had returned to her post at the space time door. Partly due to the fact that she was the guardian of space and time and that she had a duty to protect the Space Time Door. But there was another reason why the goddess of time returned to her post and it was of a personal nature.

Ever since that fateful battle with the infamous senshi of the galaxy, Pluto had been going over the events of that horrible day in her mind and even though it happened almost a month ago, the memories were still very fresh in her mind. Having her friends/team mates turn on both her and their adoptive daughter really had affected the time guardian greatly, but what had Sailor Pluto really feeling horrible about that day was the fact that she had known that Uranus and Neptune were going to turn on her and Saturn.

As the guardian of time, Pluto had the ability to see into the future while she was at the gates of time and over the centuries the goddess had seen a number of events that had shaped the world and the people that live in it. But her role as guardian had prevented her from interfering in those events and as such she allowed them to run their course in history. Even if her intervention would prevent the deaths of thousands if not millions, she was nothing more than a observer cursed to watch history play out.

Sailor Pluto fore saw her fellow team mate's betrayal weeks in advance while she was at the gates of time and as much as she wanted to warn her friends of what would come of their ill fated plan and outcome, the senshi of time knew she could not tell her companions about their plan's tragic out come. But there was a reason just why the eldest of the senshi allowed both herself and her adoptive daughter to be "killed" by their fellow team mates.

Sailor Pluto knew better than any one else just how cold and aloof Uranus and Neptune could be at times, considering that she knew just how they were back during the time of the old Moon Kingdom. Even when Queen Serenity herself would invite the two outer senshi to spend time on the moon, both Uranus and Neptune would usually tend to stay by themselves most of the time and not even bother to socialize with anyone from the inner planets. They were just to interested in protecting the solar system from outside threats and did not care too much for socializing with anyone else. But that was a long time ago and a new kingdom was set to rise again with their "princess" and her lover were set to become the new rulers.

With this new kingdom the senshi would have to learn to work together to ensure that this new utopia would not meet the same fate as the old Moon Kingdom. That meant that the normally cold and aloof pair would have to change their attitudes and learn to work together with the rest of the senshi, a task that was easier said than done. But with their recent actions during the crisis with Galaxia and their new found guilt, both the senshi of the wind and the senshi of the sea were now starting to see the errors of their ways. A fact that Sailor Pluto took notice in, as she watched the two senshi travel to America and begin the long process of finding themselves once again.

The goddess of time felt guilty for allowing the events of Galaxia to transpire as they did, allowing herself and her adoptive daughter to go through such traumatic events just so that the time streams would stay intact and flow as it was supposed to. But it was a small price to pay considering the many positives that were to come out of it and so far one thing was starting to show itself in her princess.

Usagi was starting to show a bit more maturity and was even starting to assert herself more when it came to matters concerning the senshi in general. Specifically the matter with Uranus and Michiru. Despite their actions the young woman and future queen was still able to find it within her heart to forgive the two older women for what they had done, but yet she still saw the need to punish them none the less. She took it upon herself to go and check on Hotaru and see if the young child was alright, but the most surprising thing off all was the fact that her princess came to the defense of the couple when her fellow senshi spoke ill of them.

Usagi was maturing and the princess that was she was, as well as the queen that she was destined to be was starting to show themselves. Now it was up to Haruka and Michiru to change themselves and see the errors of their ways. All the time goddess could do right now was stay at her post for the time being and watch as these events as they transpired and hope that her two fellow team mates would learn from this horrible experience.

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_**A/N: **__Okay, I know that this chapter is shorter than the others but I felt that it needed for the story to progress. There is more to come so hold on. Also, if u have any suggestions IM me and i will get back to you - UH-60 _


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: **Okay, a bit of a warning here. In this chapter, Haruka and Michiru are going to try and socialize with other prople and be a little more open to others. just letting you know in case you were hoping for another angsty chapter. now on with the story! _

_**Chapter 7: The Social Experiment... **_

To say that Haruka was in awe by what she was seeing would have been correct. The tall blond along with her lover and her cousin were now at one of the many military bases that were located in the San Diego area which was now being host to a massive car show and Haruka was excited to say the very least. The show, which was dubbed "_The Festival of Speed"_ was actually apart of the annual"_Fleet Week" _celebrations that was being held within the city.

Alex had told the couple about Fleet Week, as well as the number of events that would be taking place during the coming week when they first arrived in the city. The couple were very much intrigued by this and were interested in seeing what the city had to offer during the week long event. Especially Haruka, who's interest was peaked when she heard Alex mention that there was going to be a some what large car show on one of the military bases within the city. Seeing that the senshi of the wind was a bit of a car buff herself.

The trio arrived at the event just after lunch and to say that Haruka was a bit overwhelmed would have been an understatement. Haruka was in awe by the amount cars, both vintage and late model, that were lined up outside and were waiting to enter the show grounds. "Wow..." the tall blond gasped out, beginning to wonder just if this was what heaven looked liked. Michiru giggled as the awe struck expression on Haruka's face, _'That's the same look she gives me when I wear that black number.' _the aqua hair woman thought to herself.

"Hey, when you are done drooling you can meet us at the gate!" Alexander teased his cousin, a remark that caused the senshi of the wind to glare at the marine. Causing both him and Michiru to laugh a bit more. After a few minutes of walking the trio passed through the main gates and entered the show grounds. But as they entered, both Haruka's and Michiru's minds were awash with their own thoughts.

It was just the day before that the two lovers came to the realization that their lives did not have to revolve around the fact that they were senshi. They were human beings much like their princess and her inner court and as such, they needed to build social bonds with not only their fellow senshi, but with other people around them. A task easier said than considering their attitude and mind set they had in the past. They may have been able to deal with persons on a professional level but other than that, neither of them any clue on how just to socialize with any one on a casual level.

Haruka could remember what Alex had told her when the went jogging just the day before, _'Sooner or later you are going to have to open up to other people and let them into your life, or else you are going to be all alone in the end.'_ those words had so much weight to them when Alex first told her that and they still held weight today. The sad truth was tah they were really all alone in the world. They had no friends nor did they have family and thanks to certain events a month ago, the closest things they had to either were now gone.

But the two lovers were not about to let their overwhelming guilt get the better of them, they were determined to change no matter what. But it would still be no easy task considering that they were not in Japan, but the couple were still hopeful that they would still be able to socialize on a casual level.

"So what do you guys want to do?" Alexander spoke up, "Do you want me to show you around or do you feel that you can go it alone from here?"

"I think we can handle ourselves just for today." Haruka replied. Michiru nodded as well and said, " Yea Alex. You have already done enough for us already."

"Okay, if you insist." Alexander replied, " Just remember to meet me back at the main gate by Five o' clock, alright?" The two younger women nodded in agreement and with that, the trio broke up and went into the crowd. But as they did, they did not realize that their actions were being watched by a lone individual from a distance.

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As Michiru made her way through the crowds, her deep blue eyes caught sight of something that peaked her interest. She and Haruka were passing by some booths that had been set up, when the artist/violinist saw a couple car hoods that were out on display in front of one of them. Now normally the young woman would not care to much about car parts or accessories, but it was what was displayed on said car hoods that had her in awe. For painted on said hoods were nothing short but works of art.

One of the hoods and the image of a mountain range with what looked like storm clouds hovering over them, while the second hood had the image of white stallion rearing up on its hind legs and giving an impressive pose. The colors were so vivid and striking to the young artist, who ever did these works were not only a talented artist, but took great pride in their work.

"Ah, I see that you are interested in those air brush works that I did." a voice spoke up from behind her , startling the young woman a bit and when she looked, she saw a man that was possibly in his early fifties or sixties, with long gray hair that was done up in a pony tail and he was dressed in a very colorful shirt with matching 3¼ pants. Regaining her composure a bit, the young artist nodded and replied, "Um.. yea. I was just passing by and I saw them. Did you do these?"

The old man nodded and replied, "Yep! I just brought these in today to advertise my business. I own a small paint and body shop in the city." and with that, the old man handed her a business card with the name "_San Diego Body Works" _ printed on it. "My name is Flint." the old man said, as she stuck his hand out to sake hers.

"Nice to meet you, Flint." the young artist replied as she shook his hand"My name is Michiru Kaioh and I must say, I am very much impressed by what you have created. They should be hanging in a museum somewhere."

"Well thank you, but these here are just to help me advertise my business," Flint explained, "but I do have some works I did on display if you care to take a look at them."

That statement caught the young artist off guard, " Wait, you do paintings as well as paint vehicles?"

"Yea, it's kind of a hobby really." the older artist replied, "I actually use air brush to do them and I sell them to my customers if they like it enough."

To say that Michiru was surprised to meet another artist at an event such as this would have been correct, the young artist never thought she would meet such a person at an event that was outside the normal art world that she was use to. Sure he primarily painted his works on vehicles with an airbrush rather than the traditional Brush and canvas, but that did not stop this man from creating things that were truly works of art. So with a nod, the young woman agreed to see just what Flint had to offer as an fellow artist. Not realizing that she was about to make a very good friend out of the older man, a fact that was not lost to the dark skinned stranger who smiled at what she had just saw before heading off to find her other target.

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Haruka made her way through the sea of humanity that was the Festival of Speed. The devout Ferrari fan walked by rows and rows of cars and trucks that were on display and even though she had to admit there were some very interesting in there own right, they were not as beautiful as the Ferrari convertible that she had in storage back in Japan and to her, none of these so called vehicles could ever measure up the greatness that was that particular Italian car maker. Or at least that was what she thought before one vehicle that was on display caught her eye and when it did, the tall blond was awe struck.

Unlike many of the vehicles that were there, this one was not done up with any flashy paint jobs nor was it sitting on rims that were almost as tall as she was. In fact it was not modified in any way, it was completely stock . It was bright yellow in color with black trim, was sitting on what looked like racing rims and it had a aggressive looking profile to it. It looked like it had some age to it, but what really caught the senshi's of the wind attention was the fact that it was a convertible and the top was down.

Haruka just had to see this vehicle close up, she just had to. The now eager young woman made a bee line toward the car and as soon as she came to the vehicle she was met by a woman in her mid thirties, with shoulder length brown hair, and she was dressed in white T-shrit and a pair of blue jeans. "Excuse me miss," Haruka asked the older woman, "but is this your car?"

The older woman nodded with a smile and replied, "Yep! And by the expression on your face, I am guessing that you like may car, right?"

"Um... yea.." the tall blond replied, embarrassed by the what she had just acted. "I saw it while I was passing by and I just had to get a closer look at it."

"Well, thank you for noticing. The name is Amara." the woman said, as she held out her her had to shake the younger woman's own. At first the tall blond was a bit hesitant to shake the hand of a person that she had just met, but she swallowed her pride and shook the woman's hand in return. "The name is Haruka.."

"Well it is nice to meet you, Haruka" the other woman replied as she shook the young woman's hand, "And this is my baby, a '70 Barracuda. But I like to call her Thrill."

"Why do you call your car 'Thrill'?" the tall blond asked, puzzled by her new friend's statement. "Because she is a thrill to drive, especially when her top is down and the wind is rushing through your hair." the brunet replied with a dreamy expression on her face.

The senshi of the wind could not help but to chuckle a bit when she saw the woman's expression, but she could not help but to understand just how this woman felt when she drove her car. As a matter a a fact, Haruka always got the same feeling when she would take her Ferrari out for a drive just for the fun of it. The wind whipping through the short, sandy blond hair as a overwhelming sense of freedom flowed over her. It was quite intoxicating to say the very least. "You know what, Amara? I think I can relate the feeling."

For the next couple hours, the two women began to every thing and anything about cars. Haruka was surprised to find out that Amara had actually found her car in a junk yard and had spent the last 4 years restoring the classic vehicle. Amara was equally surprised to find out that Haruka owned a Ferrari back in Japan and that she personally worked on it from time to time. The two of them even ended up giving each other advise on how to best tune up their vehicles to get the most out of them. But finally Haruka had to leave her new friend and meet back up with both her lover and cousin, but not before the two of them exchanged contact information and with one final goodbye, Haruka made her way back to the main entrance.

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"I am guessing that the two of you had a great time?" Alexander asked, as the met back up with his cousin and her lover at the main gate.

"Yea... it was okay... I guess..." Haruka replied, trying her best to sound as if she did not enjoy herself and ignoring the fact that she was wearing a cap on her head with the name _"MOPAR" _written up on it. A fact that was not lost to her cousin, who proceeded to chuckle a bit and say "Yea.. I can see you had a horrible time."

"Well, I actually had fun." Michiru replied with a smile, "I met an artist named Flint and he showed me how to paint using a air brush. I am surprised that there were even artist here."

"I'm surprised that you enjoyed yourself!" Haruka told her lover, knowing that Michiru was never the one to enjoy anything that was automotive related. Michiru for her part just glared at her lover for a bit , before giggling and planting a soft kiss on her lover's cheek. "There are other ways I can surprise you, Ruka dear."

"Um..." Alexander spoke up, trying to fight back the blush that was forming on his face. "Um... we should get going. If you want we can stop to get some dinner."

The two women just laughed a bit at Alexander's expression and agreed to his plan to stop and buy dinner on their way home and within a few minutes, the trio was off. But as the black Jeep left the base and drove off into the city, the occupants did not notice a woman with dark skin and long flowing green hair, watching them as they leave.

Setsuna could not be any more happier for her fellow team mates. She had spent the better part of that day following her friends at the show and she was very much liking what she was seeing. The senshi of time was happy to see that both Haruka and Michiru were finally willing to come out of their shells and were now making an attempt to socialize with the world and so far, they had been successful.

Michiru had made friends with a very talented artist, while the Haruka had managed to become friends with a woman who was just as passionate as she was when it came to cars in general. It was a great step in the right direction, to say the very least. But the time senshi knew that this was just only the first step for the two lovers.

Even though today had been a major milestone for the couple, it had only been a distraction from what really was needed to be done. If the couple were to have any chance to patch up their relationship with their princess and get her to forgive them, they were going to have to forgive the very same people that got them where they were now. They were going to have to try and forgive themselves, and their was only one what the senshi of time knew how to make it happen.

With a heavy sigh, the guardian entered the portal that she made and returned to her place at the gates of time. Soon she would would be needed again to ensure that the time streams flowed as they should, her only hope was that when that time came she would be ready.


	9. Chapter 9

**_Chapter 8: A Senshi Surprise..._**

"So what is our first stop?" Haruka asked from her seat, as her cousin drove his Jeep into the city. It had been one day since they had gone to the Festival of Speed and made to new friends who were taking part in that day's festivities and things could not have gone any better for the lovers. Michiru had gained the friendship of a local auto painter by the name of Flint who was a bit of an artist, while Haruka herself had become friends with a woman named Amara, a fellow automotive enthusiast much like herself. It was a big step for the normally reclusive and aloof couple, but the two lovers were happy with just how things had gone that day.

Today though, Alexander did not have anything planned for the couple seeing that he thought his cousin and her lover would enjoy a day at his home to rest and recover from their previous day's adventure. So imagine his surprised when Haruka asked if she could go into the city with him while he made his errands, saying that she wanted to do some things as well. Alex agreed to take her and now the two cousins were on the road, while Michiru decided to stay back at the house.

"Well , I have to go the bank first to see about some things, then I have to make a stop at the grocery and then back home." Alexander explained, "If all goes well, we should be back within a couple hours."

"Um, do you think that we can make another stop at the Western Union?" Haruka asked her cousin, sounding as if she did not want to get into the subject. "Western Union?" the marine asked his cousin curiously, "Are you expecting some money?"

"Just some spending money." the blond explained, "Michiru wants to do some shopping before we had back to Japan, so she made some arrangements last night to have some money sent to us. Don't worry, we called collect."

"I do hope so," Alex replied, I would hate any unwanted surprises in my next phone bill." Haruka just chuckled a bit, as she returned the gaze on the road. But as she watched the white lines in the road disappear under the moving vehicle, the tall blond could not help but to think about the young, aqua haired goddess that had stayed by her side all through out this ordeal.

All this time they had been on their self imposed exile in America, Michiru had been at the core of all her every thoughts. It always amazed the senshi of the wind just how Michiru, a woman who could get any one she wanted, decided to devote her love and devotion to her. Just why this talented, beautiful woman chose to be with her, Haruka did not know. All she knew was that she loved her Michiru with all her heart and that Michiru loved her just as much if not more.

Haruka was the wild tom boy while Michiru was the sophisticated princess. They were so different and yet they were so right for each other.

Michiru was her everything and Haruka had come very close to losing her forever because of her plan to "help" Galaxia. By all accounts Michiru should have left her as soon as they came back to "life" and leave the guardian of Uranus to sulk in her misery all alone, but she did not. Michiru had stayed by her side and together, they weathered this terrible storm in their lives. If that was not proof that her aqua haired goddess still loved her , then Haruka did not know what was.

Haruka just sat their in silence, lost in her own thought. So lost in fact, that she did not notice that Alexander had parked his Jeep in an parking structure and switched off the engine. "Hey are you coming?" Alexander's voice broke his cousin out of her zen like stupor.

"Oh, sorry." Haruka replied quickly, "Was just doing some thinking, that's all." Alexander just shook his head, as he watched his cousin exit the vehicle and together, they made their way out of the parking structure and towards the bank.

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Michiru felt a bit odd knowing that she was the only one left in the house. It was just a couple hours before that her lover and their host had left the house to go run so errands and despite being asked if she would have like to come along for the ride, the young violinist opted to stay behind. Saying that she needed to see about some things for when they headed back to Japan. Namely going about the task of finding themselves a place to live when they returned home, seeing that they had sold their last last home before leaving Tokyo just a couple weeks ago. Now the young woman was in front of a computer (Alexander said that she could use his) and was fully engrossed with finding a new home for herself and her lover.

As she browsed through the dozens of pictures of homes that were for sale back in Japan, one picture caught her attention. _'It's still has not sold yet.' _ Michiru thought, as she looked over the photo that showed the image home that she and her lover once shared. The mansion had been up for sale for almost 3 weeks and the young artist was surprised that no one had made an offer to buy is as of yet. Then again , why wouldn't any one want such a nice home?

It was comfortable and spacious with a nice interior, yet is was also cozy and simple compared to the other mansions that were in the same community. It was for those very same reasons just why the couple had decided to buy that particular home in the first place. It was just so perfect for them; herself, her lover, their house mate... and their daughter. There were so many happy memories in that home, too many to count or to recall all at once, but that was what they all were now. Memories.

For a moment, Michiru actually considered buying their former home and moving back in once they returned to Japan, but what would be the point? Their was only one thing that made that house a real home, family. At one time she along with her lover and their fellow senshi had made up a rather odd, yet close knit family together and that mansion had been the perfect place for them to be as such. But now it was only her and Haruka, to buy such a home now just for the two of them did not really make any sense. With a heavy sigh the senshi of the seas returned to her mission of finding a new home for herself and her love. Maybe she could find a comfortable apartment or condo for them to live in when they got back.

As the aqua haired woman continued to browse through the dozens of photo's on the computer she heard the door bell chime, signaling that there was some one at the front door. Pinching the ridge of her nose a bit, Michiru got up from her seat and made he way towards the front door. As she got closer Michiru began to wonder just who it was that was at the door, maybe it was one of Alex's friends or one of his neighbors that was trying to get a hold of him. But as she got closer, the young woman could not help but the sense a very familiar presence was waiting for her at the door.

"Don't be afraid, Michiru. I only want to talk to you." a voice said from the other side of the door. Michiru was taken back a bit when the unknown visitor called her by name, just who was it at the door and how did they know that it was her coming to answer it. Cautiously the aqua haired crept up to the door and peered through the door's "peep" hole to see just who it was on the other side. When she did, she lost all the color in her face as her body suddenly became weak.

"Can I come in?"

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It was now after lunch time when Haruka emerged from the Western Union with the money she had received from Japan. Since the Western Union branch was only a couple blocks away from the bank, the tall blond woman thought it would be best if she went to get the money when Alex was doing his business. Now with some spending money in hand, the couple could buy a few things before they went back home. But as Haruka made her way back to meet up with her cousin, she still could not help but to think about her Michiru and just how much she meant to her.

The last few weeks had been a very trying time for for the couple and their love for one another. Haruka was very certain that after these events Michiru would leave her once and for all and never come back, but instead, what had happened was that Michiru had stayed with her in their time of pain. Never once she had attacked Haruka for her actions or her decisions, never once did she make her feel as if their current was her fault (even thought it was). Michiru was the one thing that kept her going all through this time and she was very happy that the senshi of the seas had stayed with her. Haruka only wished that there was some way that she could show the woman that she loved just how much she meant to her.

It was at that point that Haruka's eyes caught sight of a near by store and an idea flashed across her mind. Without hesitation, the tall blond entered said store and began to search for the one thing that would prove to her lover that she meant the world and more to her and show Michiru that she wanted to be with her for the rest of her life.

"Hey Haruka! What you got there?" Alexander asked is cousin, as he saw her approach with a small white bag in her hand. "I is something that I brought for Michi. Nothing much." the tall blond replied, as she met back up with Alex. But her cousin got a better look at the bag and got a small smile on his lips.

"Okay, why is your girl mad at you ?"

"Wha... what do you mean?" Haruka replied, a bit taken back by Alexander's question. "Michiru is not mad at me."

"Oh yea? Then what are you doing with that bag from Zales?" Alexander shot back, noting the print on the bag.

"Did you ever thing just maybe that I decided to buy something for myself or that it may be a gift for you?" the tall blond replied in her defense.

"Okay you and I both know that neither of us likes to wear jewelry and seeing that you normally would not buy such a gift for any one else, I am guessing that it is for your girl Michi." Alexander explained to his now defeated cousin.

Haruka just sighed heavily before replying, " Look, Michiru is not mad at me. It is just well... Me and her have been getting very serious lately and well..."

"Well?"

"Well... I want to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me." Haruka finished with a slight blush.

"Oh my... Congratulations Haruka!" the marine exclaimed, as he pick up his cousin off the ground with a big bear hug. "So when are you going to pop the question?"

"Um... well..." Haruka began, trying to regain her composure after Alex's hug, "I plan to ask her before we return to Japan. But I want to surprise her so I expect you to keep it a secret."

Alex agreed to keep silent about his cousin's plans for her lover and after going over a few details, the two were off once again to finish their errands.

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Haruka was silent on the drive back to Alex's home. The senshi of the wind was once again lost in thought as she watched the lines in the street vanish under the moving vehicle. She was taking a huge gamble by asking her lover to marry her at a time when their future together was uncertain, but the blond did not care about any of that. Their recent actions almost a month ago and their current situation had been the ultimate test of their love for one another and despite there current situation, their love had survived and they were still together. Michiru had many chances to leave her and start a new live without her,, but instead the violinist had stayed by her side and Haruka was determined to let her lover know that she was the most important thing in her life.

As the 4x4 pulled into the drive way and Alex turned off the engine, Haruka suddenly felt an odd chill in the air. As if the wind was warning her that there was some one else inside the home with her Michi. "Is there something wrong?" Alexander asked, as he saw the odd look on Haruka's face.

"Stay here..." Haruka said sternly, as she moved towards the front door.

As she approached, Haruka could not help but to thing just what could be inside with her lover or what peril her lover was in at that very moment. If any thing happened to her to her Michi, Haruka was surly make who ever it was pay dearly for their sins. Slowly, the senshi of the wind crept up to the door. As she did, Haruka could have sworn that she heard Michiru's voice and it sounded like as if she was crying.

That was it! Swiftly, Haruka moved into position and with one kick, she broke down the front door and rushed in ready to do battle with who ever was responsible for hurting her love. When she entered the house Haruka did not see any would be intruders or yomas, but what Haruka found sitting in front of her was just as shocking and traumatic.

There sitting on the couch with Michiru was a woman with dark skin, garnet and long green hair, and she was dressed in a lavender colored business suit with a knee length skirt. Haruka could only stare on in disbelief as the woman looked her in the eye and say,

"It is nice to see you again, Haruka."


	10. Chapter 10

**_ Chapter 9: Revilations..._**

The senshi of the wind was in a state of shock, for sitting right next to her lover on the couch was not only a woman that she thought she wouldn't be seeing again for a very long time, but a woman that had every right (and ability) to strike her down where she stood. All the stunned woman could do was whisper out a cautious, "Setsuna...?" The time goddess just nodded a bit and replied, "It is nice to see you, Haruka."

"Wha... what are you doing here?" the senshi of the wind stuttered out, still in shock at the fact that one of the women who's trust she had destroyed, was now sitting in her cousin's living room. "And what are you doing to Michi?"

"She was not doing anything to me, Haruka." the young, aqua haired woman spoke up, as she set down her cup of tea on the coffee table in front her, "We were just talking and catching up on some things."

"Uh... so you were not crying?" the senshi of the wind asked with a stunned tone in her voice.

"What's going on in here? What happened to my door?" the trio heard some on exclaimed. When when every one turned to see who it was, they was a very puzzled Alexander looking down on what was once his home's front door. Haruka, now realizing what she had done, began to turn a light shade of red.

"Oh... uh... sorry Alex," the now embarrassed blond replied, "I just thought that Michi..."

"I am afraid that it is all my fault." Setsuna spoke up, cutting off her younger friend. "My name is Setsuna Meioh and I am a friend of Miciru and Haruka." she introduced herself to the home's owner. Alexander for his part hardly heard a single word that the time goddess had said, for as he saw Setsuna walk up towards him, Gary Wright's "_Dream Weaver" _ began to play in his head.

"Um... uh... yea..." the marine managed to reply, albeit a bit awkwardly. "My name is Alexander and um... welcome to my home." the time goddess chuckled a but as she saw the young man's reaction towards her and she had to admit, it was kind of cute. It was at this point Michiru spoke up and said,

"While I was online I decided to send her a E-mail and she sent one back saying that she was in the area so I invited her over for dinner. I hope that you don't mind Alexander." the guardian of the sea lied with a pleading tone in her voice.

"No... no... It's no problem at all. Any friend of you two is a friend of mine." Alexander cheerfully replied, completely ignoring his broken front door. "So what are you doing in town, Meioh-san?"

"I was just doing some traveling when I got Michiru's E-mail. I hope you don't mind me dropping in like this, and please, call me Setsuna." the goddess replied with a smile, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the other two women in the room. Apparently the senshi of time had also begun to develop a bit of a liking towards the handsome marine.

"Well it is okay, Setsuna. I really don't mind have more company over for dinner." Alexander replied. "But first, I think my cousin would really like to help me repair my front door. Isn't that right, Haruka?"

The tall blond for her part, just blushed a bit and apologized for the damages that she had caused before both she and Alexander disappeared into the garage to get what they needed to fix the front door. All the while the senshi of the wind taking quick glances at her "friend" and wondering just why she was here at all.

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It did not take very long for the door to be repaired, luckily Haruka's kick had done less damage than it would normally do and it was only the hinges that needed to be repaired. When that was done, Alexander went into the kitchen to start that evening's dinner. Michiru asked if she could help him seeing that there would be a forth person joining them that evening and that Michiru knew Setsuna's favorite food. A fact that the marine was eager to monopolize on if he was going to try to impress the garnet eyed goddess that had walked in his home and his life.

While this was going, the senshi of time and the senshi of the wind were both sitting in the living room watching T.V. But as they sat there and watch the antics of a certain Detroit cop in Beverly Hills, Haruka's mind was working on overdrive to figure out just why Setsuna was here at all. The last time the guardian of Uranus had seen the time goddess was a couple days after their ill fated battle with Galaxia, when she said that she needed some time to be alone before leaving their home.

Haruka could still remember seeing the look on her friend's face as she left, it was a look of complete disappointment mixed with hurt and sadness. It was like the older woman could not even bring herself to look at the women that at one time she called her friends "friends" in the eye. But now here she was right next to her and she was acting as if nothing had happened, all she was doing right now was watching TV with her and laughing every so often at the movie that was on. Just why was she here at all and acting this way?

She could have just asked the guardian of Pluto why she was there, but for some strange reason the wind senshi could not bring herself to ask her friend such a question. Was it fear that was keeping her silent, Haruka did not know. All she could do right now was keep an eye on her fellow senshi and hope that she would get her answers soon.

A few hours later, quartet were seated around the small table in the kitchen and they had just enjoyed the meal that had been put together by both Michiru and Alexander.

"That was an very delicious meal, Alex." Haruka complimented, as she happily sank into her seat. "You should really think about becoming a cook!"

"Well it wasn't all me," Alexander replied in a humble manner, "Your girl here was the one who really did this magic. She even thought me a few things."

"I must say it was a very nice meal Alexander," Setsuna spoke up, " I had an really wonderful evening. But it is getting late and I must be returning to my hotel."

"I can give you a ride if u want." Alex spoke up, only to realize that what he had just said had not come out the way her wanted. "Uh... I... um... I mean I can give you a lift to your hotel."

Setsuna giggled again at Alexander's response and replied, "Thank you Alexander-San, I think I might enjoy getting a ride from you... um.. I mean, getting a lift from you." she began to blush a bit.

Haruka and Michiru were both taken a back by the way the two "adults" interacted with one another, apparently the American marine and the goddess of time were beginning to develop certain feelings for one another. Now normally, the two lovers (especially Haruka) would use this recent development to tease either the senshi of time or their host, but they thought better of this as Michiru spoke up and said, "Then it is settled. Haruka and I will say behind and clean up while you drop Sets back to her hotel."

Haruka, Alexander and Setsuna agreed to this plan and within a few minutes, Setsuna was in the passenger seat of Alex's Jeep and the two of them were pulling away from the house. However as the 4x4 began to drive off, the senshi of time could not help but to wonder if she had done the right thing and not talk to Haruka when she had the chance.

Setsuna could sense the tall blond's awkwardness while they were in the living room watching television, every so often she would notice her younger friend looking warily at her from the corner of her eye. Or how she would tense up every time it looked liked she was about to ask her a question, but most of all, the time goddess could sense the guilt that her much younger friend felt. It was so strong, it was surprising that Haruka did not drop on her knees and beg her right then and there for her forgiveness. All she did was sit silently on the couch as if she were a child that had knowing done something wrong (_which was not far from the truth_).

But her unannounced visit to the couple was not completely in vain, the goddess of time had managed to spend a couple hours alone with Michiru before Haruka had returned home and the talk that they had was very positive to say the very least. Now it was up to the guardian of Neptune to talk to her lover and relay her message to the guardian of Uranus and hopefully, the two of them would return to Japan and face the one person that mattered to them the most. Their princess.

Hope, that was all that she could do.

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As soon as the couple saw their friend drive off with Alex, the senshi of the wind quickly pulled her lover inside the house and slammed the door shut. "What was she doing here?" Haruka asked her now stunned girlfriend.

"Haruka, she just came by to talk." the goddess of the sea replied, taken aback by her lover's reaction.

"What? What did she say to you? Why didn't she try to talk to me?" Haruka was all but frantic now, it was like the reappearance of her fellow outer senshi team mate had spooked the tall blond in some way. Then again, seeing some one who's death they that caused would send almost any one into a frenzy. The young violinist just took a deep breath before she said, "Haruka, Setsuna was here to see me."

Haruka just paused in her tracks and looked at her lover with a stunned look on her face. "Setsuna was here to see you?"

"I am afraid so, my love." Michiru replied, as she walked over to the couch, sat down and began to explain. "Setsuna came by while I was on the computer. I was shocked to say the very least to she her standing on the other side of the door, I thought it was some kind of sick joke or that she was here to exact revenge on me in some way. At first I wanted just to ignore her and act as if no one was home, but I answered the door none the less and let her in."

"Did she scream at you? Did she threaten you?" The tall blond asked in an almost frantically, worried that the senshi of time may have hurt her lover in some way. Then again considering that Michiru was the one who took her star seed, Haruka would not be too surprised if the senshi of time took out her revenge on the guardian on Neptune.

Michiru upon seeing the worried look on her lover's face, smiled a bit and replied "You know you are cute when you look like that."

"Michiru... what did she tell you?"

"Well..." Michiru sighed heavily, "She said that she... forgave... me..."

Haruka's jaw practically fell to the floor, "She... forgave you?" the young violinist just nodded and replied, "She told me that... she forgave me for what I did to her. What we did to our family."

"She wasn't mad or anything?"

"If she was then she did not show it." the aqua haired senshi told her lover, "But there was something else that she told me that has me worried about you?"

"Me?" the normally confident senshi of the wind gasped out, "What did she say about me?"

Michiru just came up to her love and looked her straight in the eye, "Haruka love... are you still beating yourself up for what happened that day?" That question caught the tomboy off guard.

"What... I..." she began to stammer, "I... I'm not..."

"Haruka Tenoh, do not lie to me." The guardian of Neptune sternly scolder her lover, "Tell me the truth, do you still blame for what happened that day?"

The senshi of the wind just stood there silently for a few minutes, before she hung her head low in defeat and answered, "Well... who else do you want me to blame? I was the one who came up with that stupid plan in the first place, it was my idea to turn sides and attack our princess. It's my fault and all my fault."

"Haruka..." Michiru said, as she got up from her seat and gently placed a had on the taller woman's cheek, "it is not your fault. How were you supposed to know that it would have ended so badly for us in the end? If any thing it is I who should be beating on my self for how it played out."

" What?" Haruka gasped in surprise, " How could you blame yourself? It was my plan."

"Yes it was," Michiru explained, "but I still should have said something. I should have questioned your plan or even disagree with it, but instead I allowed myself to go with your plan and in the end, we both ended up hurting the ones we most cared about."

"But still," Haruka countered, "Just how could I have allowed myself to think up such a stupid plan? It is my fault that we lost out princess trust, it is my fault that the rest of the inners now hate us. It is my fault that..." the tall blond began to tear up.

"My love, we all make mistakes. It is just human nature to make them and no matter how big or small they may be we must learn not only to deal with them, but we must also ensure that we don't make them again." Michiru told her lover, before she came in and planted a small kiss on her cheek.

"So you are not mad at me?" Haruka asked her lover. Michiru only smiled back and replied, "I could never be mad at you ruka, I love now and I always will."

The tall blond woman smiled through her tears, for some reason hearing those words come from her girlfriend gave the senshi of the wind a great sense of relief. It was as if all the fear and anxiety that had gripped her her for the last few weeks had suddenly vanished once she heard those words come from her lover's lips. Now it was Haruka's turn to show just how much she loved her goddess of the seas. Without saying a single word, Haruka went into the room both she and her lover shared, leaving a very puzzled looking Michiru in her wake.

A few minutes later Haruka emerged from their room, but this time she was smiling and she was carrying the same small bag that she had gotten from the jewelry story earlier that day. "Haruka... what are you doing?" the young violinist asked in a puzzled tone. The tall blond just smiled and replied, "Something that I should have done a long time ago."

What happened next left the aqua haired woman speechless. Haruka reached into the bag and pulled out an small black box that was in it. Michiru could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as her lover took her hand and got down on one knee.

" Michiru..." the tall blond blond began to speak, "Ever since I have met you, you have made my life so very happy. And if you marry me.. I promise you that for the rest of our lives, I will do everything in my power to make you the happiest woman in the world."

The tears were now flowing from the violinist eyes, as slowly began to nod and say, "Yes... -sniff- yes I will marry you."

Haruka grinned as she slipped the engagement ring on her lover's finger, before she got up and spined her lover in her arms for what felt like an eternity. When she was done, Michiru came in ,wrapped her arms around her lover's neck and planted a deep passionate kiss on Haruka's lips. To which the tall blond returned said kiss with the same amout of passion that her lover gave. Then, Michiru leaped onto Haruka and wrapped her legs around her waist as their kiss became deeper and more passionate.

Soon realizing that things were about to develop Haruka held on to her lover tightly, as she carried Michiru into their bedroom to celebrate their new life together...

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**A/N:** _Okay i know that the ending of this chapter was a bit sappy if not cheezy, but i thought it would help move the story along. Well anyway, the story is coming to an end so stay tuned and as always please leave a review and thank you. _


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 10: Tears of Sorrow, Tears of Joy. **_

Haruka slowly began to stir as the golden rays of the morning sun shown brightly through the bedroom's window. Laying next to her was the naked form of her lover now fiance, Michiru who now had a very satisfied look on her face as she slept. Evidence of the night of passion they had shared just hours before. As Haruka watched her Michiru sleep, the could not help but to think of just how lucky she was to have some one like her, in her life. The last few weeks had been a very trying time for the couple indeed, but it had also been a very insightful as well.

They realized that their lives did not just have to revolve around the fact that they were both senshi, nor did they have to isolate themselves from the rest of the world because of this. They learned that they could both be the guardians of the outer solar system and still be the happy, talented couple that the rest of the world saw them as. But most of all, Haruka was finally able to let go of all the doubt and fear that she had about her relationship with Michiru. Despite all of her mistakes and flawed mind set at the time, the guardian of Neptune still loved her and had stood by her side all through this dark time for them.

Now with a new day dawning, the happy couple now had a brighter outlook on life. Especially now that they were much more than lovers, but there was still one more thing that needed to be done before they could really start moving on with their lives and even though Haruka was a bit weary at the thought, she knew that it needed to be done eventually. If they were to start their new lives together, both the guardian on Uranus and the guardian of Neptune would have to face the one person that they had possibly hurt the most. They were going to have to face their princess and if necessary, accept what ever punishment she had planed for them.

As she laid there, Haruka felt her lover began to stir, "mmmmmmm... good morning, my love." the young violinist said happily, as she looked up towards her new fiance. Still feeling satisfied from the passion they had shared just hours ago. Haruka smiled a bit and planted a small kiss on her fiance's fore head, "I see that you are happy."

"Why shouldn't I be? I have the love of my life in bed with me. As well as my soon to be husband." the young violinist giggled a bit. Haruka giggled as well, as she proceeded to plant another kiss on Michiru.

After spending a few more minutes in bed, the couple finally decided to get up and go to get some breakfast, but as they exited their room, they noticed something was off. Normally when they got up the first thing that they would smell was breakfast being prepared in the kitchen by Alex. But today the kitchen was empty and there was no sign of him anywhere. The women were starting to wonder if their host had even made it back home last night when the heard the front door open and when they investigated they saw a very sleepy looking Alexander walking through the door and that her had a pillow and blanket in his arms.

"Alex?" Haruka asked curiously, "Um... what time did you get in last night?" The groggy marine just stared at the two women and replied,

"I came back in just after ten. When I did I saw that you two had gone to bed so I went in my jeep to sleep."

"Why were you sleeping in your jeep?" Michiru asked, equally puzzled by Alex's decision to sleep in his 4x4. Alex just continued to stare at the women, as her replied, "Because i heard you two when you went to bed."

At that moment both Haruka and Michiru became wide eyed as their faces soon became bright red, apparently their activities from the previous night had been more "festive" than they had thought. Alex on the other hand just ignored the couple and made a bee line for his bedroom. All the while he was strongly considering sound proofing his bedroom just in case his cousin and her girl friend ever decided to visit him again.

A couple hours later Alexander rejoined the couple in the living room, after catching up on some badly needed sleep. He was surprised to hear that the couple had become engaged while he was gone last night and he congratulated them on the engagement.

"This calls for a celebration!" he declared, "Later I think I will treat you two to dinner later tonight."

"Thank you Alex," Michiru replied, "but I think you should save the celebrations for when we actually get married."

"Oh okay, I guess you guys celebrated enough last night huh?" the marine said with a grin, causing the two of them to blush once again.

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For the next couple of days, the soon to be married couple enjoyed what little time they had left in America. Michiru was able to do a bit of shopping in the cityand she was able to buy a few new dresses for herself ans some suits for Haruka, while Haruka on the other hand had a ball when Alex took them to an Air Show that was apart of the Fleet Week celebrations that were taking place. But the day finally came when they were to leave America and finally return to Japan to not only chart out the new course their lives were about to take, but to face their princess and accept what ever punishment she had in stored for them.

Alexander was with the couple as they waited in the busy terminal for their flight to board and the couple were saying their final good byes before they left. "Thank you Alex for letting us stay with you." Michiru told her new friend.

"Yea Alex," Haruka added, "You really were a big help." Alexander just modestly shrugged off their compliments and replied, "It was nothing, I was kind of glad you called and asked if you could stay by me."

"So you are getting ready to return to Japan as well , I see." A new voice yet familiar cut in to the conversation. When every one looked to see who it was, they saw the familiar figure of the goddess of time. This time she was wearing , red, one piece dress with long sleeves and a skirt that reached down to her knees and even though it was covering her up, the dress showed off her curvaceous figure.

"Setsuna?" Michiru gasped in surprise, "Your heading back to Japan too?" The elder woman nodded and replied, "Yes I am, but I am on a much later flight since I was unable to get a seat on this one."

"So what are you doing here so early?" Haruka asked her friend.

"Oh you know me... I like to reach early for every thing." Setsuna lied, knowing very well that she did not need to travel commercially to get to any point on earth. The other two women knew this fact as well but decided to go along with it considering that Alexander was with them, who was busy taking in the garnet eyed goddess that was in front of him. A fact that was not lost to the other women.

_'FLIGHT 127 TO LOS ANGLES IS NOW BOARDING AT GATE 4' _a voice suddenly called over the airport's PA system.

"Well that is our flight," Haruka announced, as she picked up her carry on bag. "I guess we'll be seeing you around."

"Yea I guess," Alexander replied, "Just remember to call when u get back home okay?" Haruka just nodded before she turned to Setsuna and asked a bit warily, " When will we be seeing you again?"

"In due time." she replied cryptically. "But I will return soon."

"Well then, we should get going. Good bye Alexander." Michiru said, as she got up from her waiting seat and shook Alex's hand. Haruka just smiled a bit, before coming up to her cousin and giving him a big hug right there and then before saying, "It was nice to see you again, Alex."

"Um... it was nice to see you again too, Haruka." Alexander replied, surprised at the fact that his tom boyish cousin was hugging him. A few more words were exchanged between them before the couple began to make their way towards their flight, leaving both Alexander and Setsuna behind. Neither of them noticing that the two of them had struck up a small conversation, nor did they notice their friend smiled as she walked away with Alexander to enjoy a drink with him at the airport lounge.

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After a short flight to Los Angles, the couple spent another hour at LAX before boarding their _JAL _ flight back to Japan. As the 747 cruised over the warm waters of the Pacific ocean the two lovers were both lost in deep thought, wondering just what would happen to them when they finally returned home.

Just what did their princess had planned for them when they returned? Would she ever truly forgive them for what they had done? Would the the other senshi accept them back? Questions that would not normally bother the couple, haunted them to no great extent.

"What do you think will happen when we return?" Michiru asked her lover, as she watched the clouds float by in the sky. Haruka shrugged a bit and replied, "In all honesty, I really don't know."

"Do you think that Usagi could ever forgive us?"

"Usagi is a very intelligent young woman," Haruka replied, "and I have seen her capability to find the goodness in every one. She may be able to look at us as fellow senshi and team mates, but I am not sure that we would ever fully regain her trust again."

Michiru turned towards her lover and looked at her with a warm expression and replied, "I do not care what awaits us back home, all I know is that what ever punishment awaits us back home, we will go through it... together."

Haruka smiled a bit, as she leaned down and planted a small kiss on her lover's forehead. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Michi."

"Did you let them know that we were coming back?" the young violinist's expression soon became depressed. " I called Usagi when we were in LAX. She said that everyone would be waiting for us at the temple." Haruka replied in a equally depressed tone, "She said that we will be given a chance to speak for ourselves."

Michiru nodded in understanding, as she rested her head on Haruka's shoulder, soon they would know what their princess had in store for them.

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The sun was out in its full glory and a slight breeze could be felt, as two lone figures made their way up the steps towards the Hikawa Jinja. One was dressed in a simple green 2 piece business business suit with low cut heals, the other dressed in a pair of slacks with matching sports jacket and shoes. As they walked, they could not help but to feel a sense of dread as the got closer to the shrine on top of the hill. Which was understandable considering that their future working relationship with the rest of the senshi would be determined after today.

As soon as they made it to the top of the steps, they were met with the gaze from five young women who at one time they thought were weaker than them. Two of the women that were there stared at them with a look that showed disgust and anger towards the couple, while the other two women that were there gave them looks that were although stern, were a little more sympathetic towards them. But it was the look that they were getting from the young woman directly in front of them that had the lovers' attention.

I t was not a look of anger, disgust or disappointment, nor was it a look of joy or forgiveness. It was a look that was completely alien to the couple, Usagi's expression was completely neutral. "Do you have anything that you would like to say in your defense before I speak?" Usagi asked them in a calm, yet cool voice.

"No we do not." Michiru spoke up, as she and Haruka got down on one knee and hung their heads. "In our actions of one month ago we did not only shamed ourselves, but we also betrayed your trust in us as members of your court."

"Is that all you have to say for yourselves?" Usagi asked the couple again. This time it was Haruka who answered for them and said, "No, it is not. In the past moth we learned that our lives did not have to revolve around the fact that we are senshi. We learned that we were still capable of living our own lives outside the fact that we are your protectors and that we were wrong for thinking that were did not need to work along side you and your inner court."

The other girls that were there were surprised to say the very least, they were not expecting the normally aloof couple to be apologetic about anything they had done. But here they were basically throwing themselves at the mercy at a woman that they once thought to be inferior to them in every way.

"So what do you want?" the odango princess asked her so called 'protectors.

"We ask..." Haruka began, "We ask that you allow us a second chance to be your protectors once again. We learned the hard way just how dangerous our train of thought was and in the end we lost everything that was near and dear to us."

"All we want is a second chance to prove that we can be trusted one again." Michiru spoke once again. "We know that you may never be able to forgive us, nor consider us your friends. But we ask that you give us a chance to prove our selves."

Usagi took a moment to allow their words to sink in, from what she could hear they were truly sorry for what they had done and that they really wanted another chance to become friends. But there was still the fact that they had betrayed the team and placed not only the lives of their mates in jeopardy and that was something that not even she could let slide.

"Haruka... Michiru," the young blond began, "I am glad that you came back and that you have sen the errors of your past actions. However, your most recent actions can not be fully forgiven and that you must be punished for what you had done and after a bit of thinking I have come up with a suitiblr punishment for the both of you."

The two lovers tensed up and prepared for what would be their princess' judgment towards them. "For the rest of your lives, you shall continue to live with the guilt and shame that you have brought upon yourselves." Usagi spoke in a stern tone, "No matter how much good that you do or hom much you change yourselves, you shall be forever haunted by your actions of that horrible day. But do not think of this as a punishment, but as a sad reminder of what could happen if you do not place the well being of the team first instead of the mission."

There it was, their normally kind and loving princess had dealt them a fate that neither of them wanted. For as long as they lived, the memories of that horrible day would never go away. It would be a constant reminder for them of what could happen if they were to make that same mistake ever again. They were about to get up and leave but Usagi stopped them and said, "But despite your life long punishment, I do forgive you for what you did and I do hope that we could become friends again after this and maybe one day, we can all put this mess behind us once and for all."

For a few moment's the two women just stood on one knee as the other girls wonder just what the outers would do. Suddenly, they all heard a sniffle as tears began to hit the sandy dirt on the ground and both Michiru and Haruka came in and hugged their princess.

For them, they felt as a great weight had been lifted off of them, as it the pain, fear and saddness that had followed them for weeks had just vanished. Though they would have to live with the memories of that horrible day and that the other senshi may not be as forgiving as Usagi, just to hear that their princess forgave them for what they had done, out weighted any grief that they had felt.

All they could do was hold on to their princess and cry, grateful that their princess had forgiven them for their sins.

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_**A/N:**_ _There is still one more chapter to come so hold on. A very special thanks to **petiyaka**__, who has reviewed most of my chapters in this story. Thanks :) _


	12. Chapter 12

_**Epilogue**_

_One Month Later..._

"Haruka-Papa! Michiru- Mama!" A young Hotaru squealed happily, as she saw her one time adoptive parents standing in the front door of her father's home. The young couple were dressed rather causally, Michiru in a bright yellow sun dress and matching hat, while Haruka wore a pair of blue jeans with white T-shirt and the same "MOPAR" hat that she had gotten in America almost a month ago. The couple was there to pick up the young child and take her to a small picnic that rest of the senshi were having in Juban park that day.

"Hey kiddo!" Haruka exclaimed, as she bent down and picked up the young waif with a hug. Michiru for her part, just giggled as she ruffled the child's hair affectionately. It was at this point professor Tomoe came up to the happy trio and said, "It is nice that you are doing this for Hotaru."

"It is no problem, Tomoe-sama." Michiru told the older man, "We do not mind at all."

"Yea," Haruka added with a grin"We don't mind having the squirt around for the day." For the next few minutes the couple exchanged a few words with their former enemy, before finally leaving the home of the professor with Hotaru in tow. From their they all piled into the senshi of the wind's Ferrari and in a matter of second's the trio were off to meet up with the rest og the senshi at Juban park.

As the trio drove through the busy city streets, Haruka and Michiru could not help but to think about just how their lives were changed within a matter of weeks. Two months ago the couple made what was quite possibly the biggest mistake of their lives and what had resulted was a self imposed exile in America. But during their exile, the two lovers realized just how wrong they were in the past and that their lives did not have to revolve around the fact they were senshi. They were free to build relationships on a casual level and as such, enjoy life as a normal (_sort of_) couple.

Upon returning to Japan, the couple bought and lived in a small house just outside the city, it was far smaller than the mansion they had once owned, but it was perfect for just the two of them. It was cosy yet it was still spacious enough in case any one _(Mainly Setsuna) _decided to drop in and stay for a while. Both women had kept intact with their new friends in America and they had even invited them over to Japan for when they had their wedding, which was planed for spring next year.

About an hour later, the trio made it to Juban park and Haruka expertly guided the Italian sports car to a stop. Once the vehicle was parked, the trio got out of the car and began to make their way into the park. As they walked, Hotaru's eyes caught sight of a familiar figure walking up to them.

"SETSUNA MAMA!" the young child cried happily, as she sprinted away from the couple and jumped into the arms of one of her former adoptive parents. Who was now giggling a bit as she hugged the young child in her arms.

"Setsuna," Michiru said as she walked up to the older woman, "what are you doing here?"

"Oh... it was such a lovely day, I thought I would take a walk in the park." the time goddess said, as she looked dreamily into the bright blue sky.

"Usagi invited you too, huh?" Haruka asked the time goddess with a knowing look. Setsuna smiled a touch and replied "Well... our princess can be a very persuasive young lady when she is ready." Haruka smiled a bit while Michiru giggled softly at their friend's statement and together, they made their along the walk way.

A few minutes later, the quartet came upon a group of girls and one guy, and they were busy with both setting up a small table, as well as preventing one of their own from from eating out the snacks that were there.

As the outers approached, one of them saw the group approaching them and she called out, "Hotaru-chan!"

"Ami-chan!" the young waif called out, as she ran up to the blue haired senshi of ice. It was at this point every one else that was there noticed the arrival of the youngest member of the senshi team and they all went over to greet the violet eyed child.

"It's nice to see that all of you could make it!" Usagi said cheerfully, as she saw the three older women walk up. Setsuna nodded and replied, "I would have not missed this for anything."

"Yea," Haruka added, "It was nice that you invited us along for the day."

"It was not like we had much of a choice." Makoto muttered, "Usagi-chan insisted on that invited you to if Hotaru was coming. Not like it would have mattered if you were here or not."

"IN ANY CASE..." Usagi interrupted, "you are here now. So enjoy yourselves and have fun."

"What is her problem?" Haruka whispered into Usagi's ear, as she watched the senshi of thunder walk off.

"Oh, just give her some time. She just needs to learn how to let go of the past." Usagi explained to her older friend. But for Haruka and Michiru, it was an reminder that not every one was as will as their princess to forgive them.

"Considering what we did, I don't think that she would forget any time soon."

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As the day went on, the senshi enjoyed themselves with a number of activities. From playing a game of hide and seek with Hotaru, to talking about what they had planed for the coming school year ahead. But as this went on, their were two certain senshi that had decided to lave their younger friends and spend some time by themselves.

It wasn't that they didn't want to spend time with their younger friends, it was just that they needed some time alone to think about just what the future had in store for them. They were now free to live their lives as not only senshi, but had human beings and enjoy life as such. They were now more open towards others and they no longer acted as if they only needed each other. They were about to start a new chapter in their lives and soon, their love would reach a new level when they got married in a few months time.

It was true that there was still some bad blood between them and some of the other senshi and it could be a very long time indeed before the other girls would ever trust them again,but they did not have time to focus on such things. They had a new life to live and they did not have time to feel guilt Band be trouble by their actions.

It was with that thought in mind, the two lovers held tightly on each others hands, as the turned around and made their way back towards their princes and her friends to enjoy their company.

_**THE END...**_

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_**A/N: **And so comes to an end, the story of Haruka and Michiru's tale. But there are many questions that still go unanswered. Will the other senshi ever truly forgive them? Will their love survive married life? And most of all, what is going on between Setsuna and Alexander? _

_All I will say is that I truly enjoyed writing this story and I am happy to see so many people enjoy this story. Thank you for reading and I hope my future fics will peak your interest as well. _

_With much respect, UH-60 -bows- _


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